IATF 16949 CERTIFICATION

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What are the main differences between IATF
16949 and ISO 9001? ISO 9001 is a general
standard, applicable for all
industries/sectors, from agriculture to
manufacturing, and it is maintained by ISO.
When talking about IATF 16949, the situation
is completely different this standard is
maintained by the International Automotive
Task Force, including membership from Chrysler,
Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corp, PSA
Peugeot Citroen and Renault, and other
contributors, being specifically applicable for
automotive parts producers. But even with this
segregation, IATF 16949 is, in a way, an
extension of ISO 9001, being built on the same
foundation. Therefore, a company in the
automotive sector will have to implement both
ISO 9001 requirements and IATF 16949-specific
requirements (also including customer-
specific requirements specific requirements of
car makers and other suppliers). In this article,
you will learn more about the differences and
connections between ISO 9001 and IATF 16949.
IATF 16949 structure The IATF 16949 structure is
similar to the ISO 9001 structure, being based on
it. Introduction. IATF 16949 starts with an
introductory section, which includes general
information about the history, goal, and remarks
for certification. It continues with other
general information regarding objectives, an
explanation for how to understand the
requirements, principles of quality
management, the process approach, the
Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, risk-based
thinking,
and the relationship with other management system
standards.
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Scope. Then, the standard defines the scope
it is applicable for the sites where the
customer- specific parts, service parts, and
accessories are produced. In plain English, this
means that it is possible to certify only those
sites that produce parts for car assembly and
service parts not aftermarket parts! This
means that your company has to be an
automotive parts producer the support
locations cannot get an individual IATF
certification. Customer-specific requirements.
Similarly to ISO 9001, IATF 16949 continues with
normative references, which help users to
understand the requirements by accessing related
documents. If you need some additional
explanation about ISO 9001 terms, we can
find it in the ISO 9000 vocabulary. On the
other side, for detailed explanation of IATF
customer-specific requirements, you also have to
study specific requirements created by carmakers
and other organizations like AIAG (Automotive
Industry Action Group), VDA (German
Association of Automotive Industry), and so
on, if they are applicable for your organization.
For example, if I produce parts for Renault, I
will also need to consider the Customer Specific
Requirements (CSR) of Renault published on the
IATF site in the OEM Requirements section. Terms
and definitions. Section 3 defines specific terms
used in the automotive industry. You will need
to read it carefully, because you will
need to use a common language with your
customer(s) and the certification body. Context
of the organization. Like ISO 9001, the
standard continues with Context of
the organization. This section 4 of IATF 16949
requires the organization to define remote
locations with supporting functions. For
example, if I work in a site that is
part of a multinational company, perhaps
HR-related activities are being performed at
the headquarters. This is a support function
that occurs in a remote location. By taking into
consideration the requirements related to product
safety and conformance, we have to establish
specific processes. Leadership. Section 5
requires the implementation of a corporate
responsibility policy, the analysis of process
effectiveness and efficiency, and the definition
of process owners who need to be competent in
managing identified processes for which they are
accountable. At the end of this section, IATF
16949 requires the organization to nominate
employees with responsibility and authority
regarding the need to satisfy customer
requirements. Risks. In section 6, IATF 16949
adds specific requirements regarding analysis of
sources of risk like scrap, field returns, and
development of contingency plans. All of this is
necessary to ensure the accomplishment of quality
objectives (requested by customers). Resources.
In section 7, we are asked to plan our layouts by
using a lean approach and to use
measurement systems analysis methods to
assess such systems, with specific
requirements for
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internal and external laboratories. Also, we
have to take care of calibration of
inspection and testing equipment, training
(especially on-the-job training) and
employees empowerment and awareness-specific
requirements. Last but not least, we have
a special requirement regarding QMS
documentation not the same as ISO
9001, which allows us to structure
our documentation as we choose here we need to
document a Quality Manual and a specific matrix
for IATF 16949 requirements vs. established
processes. The last requirement regarding control
of engineering specifications defines the
link to automotive industry-specific
processes (practices), such as planning and
controlling new product development and changes
in products and processes triggered by changes of
such specifications. . Operations. Next, section
8 comes with the majority of specific
requirements, and requires the organization to
apply specific automotive industry methods,
starting from product development up to managing
the production in the serial phase (mass
production), i.e., what inputs we have to use for
product design, management of special
characteristics, and manufacturing process
design. Also, we have to establish processes to
monitor and report the development phases,
including the link to management review,
establishing a project team, performing
product and process validation, controlling
suppliers processes (including second-party
audits), development and utilization of control
plans, implementation of total productive
maintenance, and controlling the changes (product
and process, as applicable) during the serial
phase. Here we have specific requirements
regarding maintenance and the utilization of
enterprise resources planners that we have to
consider, too. Performance evaluation. Next,
section 9 requires us to monitor and measure the
manufacturing process, including the
assessment of process capability,
identification and application of statistical
methods, monitoring of customer satisfaction
by using specific methods, actions
prioritization, and internal audit. We need to
establish an audit program based on a three-year
cycle and, by using it, to audit the system
(QMS), the manufacturing process, and the
delivered products. Also, here we will find
specific requirements regarding management
review. Improvement. Section 10 comes with the
main specific requirement to establish a process
for continual improvement and to use specific
problem-solving methods (in the automotive
industry, the 8D method is mainly used) and
error-proofing systems. Also, we have to
establish a warranty
management system a system that controls
warranty claims issued by customers.
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Good practices developed over decades To
summarize, compared to the ISO 9001
requirements, IATF 16949 includes
specific requirements for the automotive
industry, and additional customer-specific
requirements that have to be implemented, too.
In fact, for most of the ISO 9001 requirements,
IATF 16949 adds more requirements to reinforce
the control of their application. There are
also SIs sanctions interpretations published
by IATF 16949, which, in several cases, override
the requirements, and you need to do updates
periodically. Note at the end consider
applying good practices such as change
control and product and process validation
even if you are not an automotive company. Such
practices were developed over decades based on
industrial experiences and studies and were
proven to provide good results. IAS Expertise
in IATF 16949 Certification IAS certification is
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iatf 16949 certification