Driving excellence in the automotive supply chain
ISO/TS 16949 is an ISO technical specification which aligns existing US, German, French and Italian automotive quality system standards within the global automotive industry. It specifies the quality system requirements for the design/development, production, installation and servicing of automotive-related products.
The global automotive industry demands world class levels of product quality, productivity and competitiveness as well as continual improvement. To achieve this goal many vehicle manufacturers insist that suppliers are certified to the quality management standard for suppliers to the automotive sector, known as ISO/TS 16949.
ISO/TS 16949 has been developed by the industry, the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), to encourage improvement in both the supply chain and the certification process. In fact, for the majority of leading vehicle manufacturers, certification to this specification is a mandatory requirement for doing business.
This specification aligns and supersedes existing US, German, French and Italian automotive quality system standards, including QS-9000, VDA6.1, EAQF and ASQ. It specifies the quality system requirements for the design/development, production, installation and servicing of all automotive-related products. First published in March 1999 and revised in 2002, there are now over 45,750 certificates issued in the three major business areas of the Americas-Europe-Asia.
Who is it relevant to?
ISO/TS 16949 is relevant to all types of automotive supply companies, from small manufacturers to multi-site, multinational organizations located anywhere in the world. However, it is only applicable to sites where production or service parts are manufactured for the original equipment market.
Organizations wishing to break into the automotive market must wait until they are on an automotive customer's potential supplier list before they can progress with certification to this specification.
Why choose us?
As the global market leader for automotive management system certification to ISO/TS 16949 we employ a large number of automotive experienced auditors that are certified by IATF.
Our experienced Client Managers are the most experienced automotive auditors in the industry and can enable you to achieve continual improvements.
Next steps
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- License to trade
For most vehicle manufacturers, certification is a mandatory requirement that is internationally recognized – helping you to do business worldwide.
- Reduces waste and prevents defects
The specification is based on ISO 9001 and encourages a process approach. Understanding the inter-relationship of processes through the use of the standard can enable improved product and process quality and ultimately avoids variation in the supply chain.
- Flexible and easy to adopt
ISO/TS 16949 is based on ISO 9001, making the process approach easy to adopt and integrate with other key management systems including ISO 14001 Environmental and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety. It also complements many existing business improvement tools, such as FMEA, PPAP, MSA, SPC and Six Sigma.
- Brand reputation
Certification can provide additional confidence and consistency to all interested parties in global sourcing, enabling greater business opportunities and attracting more investment prospects.
Next steps
Request a quote, find out more about training courses or contact us for more details.
We are experts in training as well as assessment and have a network of public and onsite courses dedicated to teaching you the skills you need before, during and after certification to the standard.
Our courses include:
- Understanding and implementing ISO/TS 16949
- Implementing ISO/TS 16949
- Auditing to ISO/TS 16949 (internal and lead auditor courses are available)
We also offer a number of eLearning workshops on this quality management specification for automotive suppliers.
Next steps
Request a quote, find out more about training courses or contact us for more details.
If you’re already one of our clients and have various standards in place, your Client Manager can help you assess where you are now, and guide you through to the certification process.
If you’re new to BSI, don’t worry - certification is still a simple process.
1. Buy and read a copy of ISO/TS 16949 & the Scheme Rules
Before you can begin preparing for your application, you'll need a copy of the technical specification. You should read and familiarize yourself with them. You can buy a copy of ISO/TS 16949 online from BSI. The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) offers the scheme rules for purchase.
2. Make contact
Get in touch and tell us what you need, so we can sort out the best services for you. We’ll then give you a proposal detailing the cost and time involved in a formal assessment.
3. Meet your assessment team
We’ll assign you a Client Manager, who will be your main point of contact through the process – and beyond. They’ll have a good understanding of your business area and support you as you move forward to assessment and registration of your integrated management systems.
4. Consider training
Whether you’re seeking to implement a management system or would like to increase your general awareness of ISO/TS 16949, there are a range of workshops, seminars and training courses available.
5. Review and assessment
We’ll do a desktop review of your integrated management system against the standard, and identify any omissions or weaknesses that need resolving before formal assessment. An optional pre-audit can be undertaken to review existing ISO/TS 16949 systems to establish your readiness for the certification audit. Once these have been addressed, we’ll conduct a full on-site audit.
6. Certification and beyond
Once the audit has been successfully completed, we’ll issue a certificate of registration, clearly explaining the scope of your automotive management system. The certificate is valid for three years, and your auditor will visit you regularly to help you make sure you remain compliant, and support you in the continual improvement of your systems.
Next steps
Request a quote, find out more about training courses or contact us for more details.
