Quality is king when it comes to the automotive industry. Manufacturers and suppliers of automobiles, their equipment, and their parts can find themselves in catastrophic situations if they don't adhere to a thorough quality process when designing, developing and producing all the components that make up our preferred mode of transportation. The IATF 16949:2016 standard lays out a roadmap for OEMs and suppliers to develop procedures that can maximize their ability to consistently provide high-quality results. Understanding the most critical IATF 16949 clauses and requirements is vital to achieving certification.
The International Automotive Task Force (IATF) formed the IATF 16949 standard in 1999 to provide a single, globally accepted quality standard for automotive suppliers (then titled ISO/TS 16949). The most recent version of the automotive quality standard was developed with proactive industry feedback and engagement by AIAG members in North America. It's also based on ISO 9001:2015 and designed to be used in conjunction with that standard.
Joining standards from across the U.S. and Europe, IATF 16949 requirements outlines the industry's minimum requirements for developing, manufacturing, or assembling automotive products. The IATF standard is recognized as the foundation for an automotive-related company to create a system to provide consistent improvement and customer satisfaction. Many automotive organizations require adoption of this automotive quality standard to become a supplier.
There are a multitude of clauses in IATF 16949, meaning it's quite easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Read on for information on some of the most crucial IATF 16949 clauses.
Clause 8.3.2.1, which deals with design and development, references planning that affect the stakeholders of an organization, both internal and external It cites the AIAG Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) as an example of a multidisciplinary approach for such plans.
IATF 16949's Clause 8.3.4.4 addresses the product approval process that conforms to requirements defined by the customer. It references the AIAG Product Part Approval Process (PPAP) as a method of approving externally provided products and services per Section 8.4.3 of the ISO 9001 standard.
Clause 9.3.2.1 (i), which covers management review inputs, states, "Input to management review shall include: (i) review of customer scorecards (where applicable)."
Clause 4.3.2 refers to customer-specific requirements, which are required to be included in the scope of the organization’s IATF 16949 quality management system. Controlled shipping special status that may be invoked by certain IATF customer, if key performance indicators are not met.
This is also addressed in clause 9.1.2.1 e):
IATF 16949 Clause 8.5.4.1 refers to "Preservation – Supplemental" and requires reoccurring assessments at planned intervals of the condition of product stock, the place/type of storage container and storage environment. Packaging and labeling can be classified under this clause.
Clause 7.1.5.2.1 in the IATF 16949 standard refers to calibration/verification records, particularly the need for a process to ensure that there's effective calibration or verification of monitoring and measuring resources that affect conformity of products/services.
A major nonconformity may be issued for several reasons arising from an organization’s failure to meet IATF 16949 requirements, not the least of which is a noncompliance that would result in the probable shipment of nonconforming product.
This passage from an IATF 16949 report illustrates a major nonconformance: "Discovered during audit – multiple measuring equipment were out of calibration – demonstrated non-conforming product was sent to customer as a result."
We have years of experience with IATF 16949 requirements and the audit process. We can help steer your team through the IATF 16949 certification process, and we'll get to know your business and provide guidance targeted to your specific needs. Contact us today to take advantage of our IATF 16949 expertise.
