ISO/TS 16949 is an international quality system standard specifically formulated for the global automotive industry. It was developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), in association with members of the ISO Technical Committee-TC176.
ISO/TS 16949 specifies the quality system requirements for the design/development, production, and (where relevant) installation and servicing of automotive-related products. ISO/TS 16949 1st Edition was released in 1999 and was based on ISO 9001:1994.
To emphasise continuous improvement in the supplier base, IATF later revised the ISO/TS 16949 requirements so that they are based on the ISO 9001:2000 framework.
The new ISO/TS 16949:2002 includes ISO 9001:2000, and successfully harmonises the supplier quality system requirements of the automakers not only from America, but Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Korea and Malaysia, with the purpose of having a single document and registration scheme that works for the Asian, European and US automotive industries.
Supplies can improve products and processes, and provide additional confidence for global sourcing by getting themselves certified to ISO/TS 16949:2002. ISO/TS 16949 certifications are accepted by IATF participating members as the international equivalent of QS-9000, AVSQ, EAQF, and VDA 6.1.
With the release of ISO/TS 16949:2002, there came sweeping changes to the way organisations need to implement, maintain, and continually improve their quality management systems. Gone is the day when the primary emphasis was: "Say what you do and do what you say".
The new emphasis is on an organisation identifying and managing a defined series of unique business processes and sub-processes effectively and efficiently so that total customer satisfaction is assured. This 2002 version of the Technical Standard is business-focused and offers an organisation more flexibility in implementation.
ISO/TS 16949 CERTIFICATION OFFERS THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS:
-- Improved product and process quality.
-- Improved on-time delivery.
-- Greater emphasis on supplier quality improvement efforts.
-- ISO/TS 16949 satisfies automotive mandates of IATF members on global basis, when complemented by fulfilment of customer-specific requirements.
-- Eliminates the need for multiple third-party registrations on a geographic basis
-- Enables firms to upgrade from QS-9000, VDA 6.1, etc during regularly scheduled surveillance audits, provided the registrar is IATF-approved for ISO/TS 16949.
-- Promises more consistent auditing performance. Auditors of recognised ISO/TS 16949 registrars must undergo extensive training, testing and re-qualification to meet rigorous qualification requirements.
A practical way to view the requirements listed in the ISO/TS 16949:2002 specification is to picture them as providing the framework for building your quality management system.
This framework provides the guidelines and structure for creating, implementing, managing, and improving the quality management system but, by itself, is not the whole system. It is a generic system that, when properly implemented together with an organisation's specific business processes, can place that organisation in a better position to meet defined customer requirements.
With ISO 9001:2000 as the basic quality management system, organisations achieving certification to ISO/TS 16949 receive dual benefits. First, they benefit from the process approach, with emphasis on continuous improvement.
This means that the organisation knows, understands, and practices a philosophy that is committed to quality in all actions, never settles for "good enough" and understands the dynamics and interactions that exist between the various processes that make up the quality management system.
Secondly, the added requirements of ISO/TS 16949, although prescriptive in nature, are based on proven techniques that further enhance an organisation's ability to achieve high quality levels in the challenging automotive sector.
Many of the OEM subscribers to ISO/TS 16949:2002 realise that automobiles have many things in common yet; it is with styling and design that they are able to create market niches and competitive advantage. It is the same with quality management systems.
All subscribers to ISO/TS 16949 have agreed to the common requirements of a quality management system; it is in those customer-specific requirements that they attempt to assure the competitive edge. Only when customer-specific requirements are coupled with ISO/TS 16949:2002 do quality management systems become complete and meaningful in meeting the requirements of a particular subscriber within the automotive industry.
(The writer is Project Director System Certification Centre PSQCA)