ISO/TS 16949 Automotive Industry Quality Scheme

In the hyper-competitive world of automotive production, maintaining high quality standards has long been the norm. The prevention of defects arising from the manufacturing process or in the supply chain is an essential requirement to enable manufacturers to maintain their competitiveness and brand reputation. Over the years each major automotive manufacturing country had developed their own quality standards and assessment processes. With the increasing globalisation of the industry it was recognised that a universal standard was required and so TS16949 was born in 1999 and updated in 2002 and again in 2009.

TS 16949 Requirements

The ISO/TS 16949 standard  is based upon the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Standard but with specific additional requirements for manufacturers and suppliers designed to minimise the risk of errors in the manufacturing process and increase customer satisfaction.

The standard covers 8 sections

TS 16949 Benefits

The majority of the major automotive manufacturers specify the standard as a mandatory requirement for their tier 1 suppliers who in turn are increasingly likely to require their own suppliers to be certificated also at least to a minimum ISO 9001 standard to be considered as a potential supplier.

TS 16949 Certification

The standard for certification is set by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF).  There are a number of assessment bodies accredited by the IATF to certificate the standard.

How HPA Can Help

From our initial audit of your existing systems and operations, through to a coherent planning and implementation stage, Hatton Parkinson Associates can assist your business in preparing for successful third party assessment for the AS 9100 standard. We work with you at every step to ensure the accreditation is as straightforward and cost effective as possible.