IATF 16949 Certification  | Bureau Veritas

The introduction of a good quality management system helps a company to develop its own potential. The automotive industry, working under extreme time and cost pressure, is one of the most demanding sectors worldwide.

It is not only crucial for the automotive industry to be able to rely on suppliers, but also for other companies in the supply chain. They all depend on suppliers who have their processes under control, understand the specific requirements of their customers and focus on continuous improvement.

By certifying your management system accordingly, you demonstrate that your company meets these key criteria in the automotive sector.

IATF 16949 certification is the only globally recognised quality management standard applicable to all companies operating in the automotive supply chain. The IATF 16949 was jointly developed by IATF members to provide automotive certification simplification for companies that previously had to comply with different sets of regulations, such as QS-9000 and VDA 6.1. As a technical specification (TS), the IATF 16949 standard combines general requirements for quality management systems and is applicable to all supplier companies in the automotive industry. The aim of the standard is to improve system and process quality in a sustainable manner according to the criteria of modern process management.

NEW EDITION: THESE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES OF IATF 16949:2016 COMPARED TO ISO/TS 16949

HIGH LEVEL STRUCTURE AND EXTENDED CUSTOMIZED STANDARD REQUIREMENTS

The structure of IATF 16949:2016 has been adapted to the High Level Structure of the quality management standard ISO 9001:2015, which was revised in 2015. A special focus was placed on extended requirements of the automotive industry in the following areas:

• Safety related parts and processes (safety parts)
• Product traceability according to the latest regulatory requirements
• Products with embedded software (Embedded Software)
• Warranty management process including going through an NTF (no trouble found) process (replication of potential problem areas, review of testing procedures)
• Subcontractor management and its further development (corporate social responsibility)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY SHOULD MY COMPANY IMPLEMENT IATF 16949?

To keep your customers in the automotive industry and to satisfy them, your products and services must meet their requirements. The IATF 16949 provides a framework introduced by automotive manufacturers (OEMs) to manage your business processes to meet and exceed these requirements.

DOES THE IATF 16949 CERTIFICATION GIVE ME A BUSINESS ADVANTAGE?

Most of the major car manufacturers only contract suppliers that are certified according to IATF 16949 (formerly ISO/TS 16949).

DOES THE REVISION OF ISO 9001 ALSO CHANGE SOMETHING FOR ISO/TS 16949?

Yes, ISO 9001 is the basis for ISO/TS 16949, so after the extensive revision of ISO 9001:2015, a revision for ISO/TS 16949 followed, with the new standard, IATF 16949:2016, replacing ISO/TS 16949. On 9 August 2016, the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) issued a press release stating that the new industry standard IATF 16949:2016 will replace the former ISO/TS 16949:2009.