IATF 16949 Automotive Quality Management System Certification Service

IATF16949

1. Certification Introduction

IATF16949 certification, its full name is "Quality Management Systems—Particular Requirements for the Application of ISO 9001 for Automotive Production and Relevant Service Part Organizations", known in English as IATF16949.

IATF16949 is an international technical specification for the automotive industry, based on ISO9001 with the addition of automotive industry technical specifications. This specification places greater emphasis on defect prevention and reducing quality variations and waste that are prone to occur in the automotive parts supply chain.

It is only applicable to automotive OEMs and their direct spare parts manufacturers, meaning these manufacturers must be directly related to automotive production, capable of carrying out processing and manufacturing activities, and adding value to products through such activities.

2. Implementation Significance

(1) Continuous improvement in the supply chain

• Quality improvement

• Productivity improvement

• Cost reduction

(2) Emphasis on defect prevention

• Application of SPC

• Error-proofing measures

(3) Reduction of variation and waste

• Ensuring inventory turnover and minimum stock levels

• Cost of quality

• Non-quality additional costs (downtime, excessive handling, etc.)

(4) Benefits of ISO/TS 16949 for automotive suppliers:

• Integration of quality requirements for automotive suppliers.

• Use of a common quality system to avoid multiple certification audits.

• Reduction in the frequency of supplier quality system reviews

3. Certification Process

(1) Provide customized recommendations based on the organization's size and business type. Once you sign the proposal, the audit can begin;

(2) Offer optional "pre-audit" services to assess readiness and identify weaknesses;

(3) Formal audit. Stage 1—Readiness assessment: Evaluate the organization's documented system and other critical systems, and raise non-conformities;

(4) Stage 2: Includes interviews with staff, review of documented information, and on-site observation of work practices, resulting in audit findings. A certificate will be issued upon passing the audit;

(5) Conduct surveillance audits of the management system implementation every six months or annually, as per the contract;

(6) After the initial three-year certification audit period, a recertification audit is conducted.