ISO/TS 16949
The ISO/TS16949 is an a technical specification widely accepted for the development of a quality management system that provides for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain. It is based on the ISO 9001 standard and the first edition was published in March 2002 as ISO/TS 16949:2002.
It was prepared by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) in conjunction with the "Technical Committee" of International Organization for Standardization. It harmonizes the several automotive specific regulations of Quality-Management-Systems.
About 30 percent of the existing automobile manufacturers affiliate the requirements of the norm but especially the large Asian manufacturers have differentiated, own requirements for the quality management systems of their corporate group and their suppliers. TS 16949 applies to the design/development, production and, when relevant, installation and servicing of automotive-related products. The requirements are intended to be applied throughout the supply chain. Vehicle assembly plants are also encouraged to seek ISO/TS16949 certification.
Aim of the standard is to improve the system and process quality to increase customer satisfaction, to identify problems and risks in production process and supply chain, to eliminate its causes and to examine taken corrections and preventive measures for their effectiveness.The focus lies not on the discovery, but on the avoidance of errors. The eight main chapters of the standards are:
· Section 1-3: Introduction and Preface
· Chapter 4: Quality Management System (general requirements, control of documents and records)
· Chapter 5: Responsibility of the management
· Chapter 6: Management of resources
· Chapter 7: Product realization
· Section 8: Measurement, Analysis and Improvement
The process-oriented approach to business processes that is addressed in the ISO 9001:2008 stands at the forefront of the standard. It looks at the business processes in a process environment in which there are interactions and interfaces that need to be recognized, mapped and controlled by the quality management system. Additionally the gateways to the exterior (to sub-suppliers, customers and to remote locations) are defined. The Standard distinguishes between customer-oriented processes, supporting processes and management processes. This process-oriented approach is meant to improve the understanding of the whole process. The standard emphasizes on the importance of identifying and managing the integration between multiple processes that exist in the business process that affect the quality performance of a firm. A key requirement of ISO / TS 16949:2009 is the fulfillment of customer-specific requirements, set up by the automobile manufacturer in addition to the quality management system of their suppliers. This may have decisively contributed to the worldwide recognition of the TS by many manufacturers.
The ISO/TS 16949 can be applied throughout the supply chain in the automotive industry. A certification takes place on the basis of the certification rules issued by the IATF International Automotive Task Force. The certificate is valid for the length of three years and must be confirmed annually by an IATF certified auditor (3rd Party Auditor) of an accredited certification body. Thereafter follows the re-certification for another three years with afresh annual confirmation. A certificate according to ISO/TS 16949 is intended to build up or enforce the confidence of a (potential) customer into the system and process quality of a (potential) supplier. Today, a supplier without a valid certificate has very little chance to serve a Tier 1 supplier and certainly no chance to serve a car manufacturer (OEM) with standard parts.
All OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) have declared this technical specification as standard. Whether this will improve the quality of automobiles remains unclear. If the specification meets the promises of its proponents, then we should expect declining number of recalls, with statistical significance, over the next years.
The ISO/TS 16949 was jointly developed by the IATF members and submitted to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for approval and publication. The document is a common automotive quality system requirements catalog based on ISO 9001:2008, and specific requirements from the automotive sector. This document, coupled with customer-specific requirements defines quality system requirements for use in the automotive supply chain.
The IATF has developed a common registration scheme for supplier 3rd party registration to the ISO/TS 16949. The registration scheme includes third party auditor qualifications and common rules for consistent global registration. Some of the benefits of the IATF registration scheme include:
- improved product and process quality
- additional confidence for global sourcing
- reassignment of supplier resources to quality improvement
- common quality system approach in the supply chain for supplier/subcontractor development and consistency
- reduction in multiple 3rd party registrations
Customer Specific Requirements
Customer-specific requirements are a component of ISO/TS 16949:2009 that cannot be ignored. In fact, customer-specific requirements are more important in ISO/TS 16949:2009 than they were in previous standards. Furthermore, the customer-specific requirements of Chrysler, Ford, and GM are essential "requirements" in implementing and auditing TS 16949.
The International Automotive Task Force (IATF), which consists of nine OEMs used a different strategy to create ISO/TS 16949. When all of the IATF members could not agree on a certain clause or process, the objecting OEM put that particular requirement into its own customer-specific requirements. Consequently, there are many more customer core requirements. The five Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) reference manuals, which are understood to be core requirements, are now part of the customer-specific requirements of Chrysler, Ford, and GM.
As mentioned previously, implementation begins with understanding and training. Key supplier personnel must be trained in customer-specific requirements. Detailed customer specifics can be implemented into processes by following a mapping of the customer-specific requirements. Adopt a common process for the entire organization and clearly indicate different ways tasks should be performed to satisfy different customers.
BDSi can demonstrate the connections and parallels between various requirements, helping you develop a corporate quality mandate that best suits your organization. It is this integrated approach that will best prepare you for the ideological and focus shifts of the future. This integrated approach also focuses attention on the concept; quality is the ultimate goal, regardless of what method you use to get there.
