TS16949
Encyclopedia
The ISO/TS16949 is an ISO technical specification aiming to 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 and the first edition was published in March 2002 as ISO/TS 16949:2002.
It was prepared by the International Automotive Task Force
(IATF) and the "Technical Committee" of ISO. It harmonizes the country-specific regulations of Quality-Management-Systems.
About 30 percent of the more than 100 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.
TS16949 applies to the design
/development
, production and, when relevant, installation and servicing of automotive-related products
. It is based on ISO 9001.
The requirements are intended to be applied throughout the supply chain
. For the first time vehicle assembly plants will be encouraged to seek ISO/TS16949 certification
.
But due to this regulation a supplier needed to provide two different certificates for Daimler and Chrysler (VDA 6.1 for Germany and QS 9000 America), even though the supplier delivered only to a single company. These dubieties accelerated the need for harmonization.
The eight main chapters of the standards are:
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. Not an isolated process, but the entity of all interacting business processes 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 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 such as Bureau Veritas
, DQS
, SGS S.A., TÜV
, or UTAC
. 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.
Certification bodies :
Quality management system
A quality management system can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management.-Elements of a Quality Management System:# Organizational structure# Responsibilities# Methods...
that provides for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain
Supply chain
A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to...
. It is based on the ISO 9001 and the first edition was published in March 2002 as ISO/TS 16949:2002.
It was prepared by the International Automotive Task Force
International Automotive Task Force
The International Automotive Task Force is a group of automotive manufacturers which aims at providing improved quality products to automotive customers worldwide.-Purposes of the IATF:...
(IATF) and the "Technical Committee" of ISO. It harmonizes the country-specific regulations of Quality-Management-Systems.
About 30 percent of the more than 100 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.
TS16949 applies to the design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
/development
New product development
In business and engineering, new product development is the term used to describe the complete process of bringing a new product to market. A product is a set of benefits offered for exchange and can be tangible or intangible...
, production and, when relevant, installation and servicing of automotive-related products
Product (business)
In general, the product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce, from the Latin prōdūce ' lead or bring forth'. Since 1575, the word "product" has referred to anything produced...
. It is based on ISO 9001.
The requirements are intended to be applied throughout the supply chain
Supply chain
A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to...
. For the first time vehicle assembly plants will be encouraged to seek ISO/TS16949 certification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
.
Historical background
Many suppliers were asked by the car manufacturers (OEMs) to build and certify their quality management system according to the rules and regulations of their own country organizations, such as:- VDAVDA 6.1VDA 6.1 is a German quality management system standard. It was initiated by the automobile industry. The first VDA standard was for the exchange of surface models, and was named "VDA-FS". It has been superseded along the way, by a subset of the "Initial Graphics Exchange Specification" ; referred...
(Germany) - AIAG (North America)
- AVSQ (Italy)
- FIEV (France)
- SMMTSociety of Motor Manufacturers and TradersThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is the trade association for the United Kingdom motor industry. It "promote the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad".-History:...
(UK)
But due to this regulation a supplier needed to provide two different certificates for Daimler and Chrysler (VDA 6.1 for Germany and QS 9000 America), even though the supplier delivered only to a single company. These dubieties accelerated the need for harmonization.
Content of the specification
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. Not an isolated process, but the entity of all interacting business processes 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.
Certification
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 ForceInternational Automotive Task Force
The International Automotive Task Force is a group of automotive manufacturers which aims at providing improved quality products to automotive customers worldwide.-Purposes of the IATF:...
. 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 such as Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas S.A. is a multinational company providing conformity assessment, certification and consulting services to industry, government and individuals. Originally formed in Antwerp in 1828 as Bureau de Renseignements pour les Assurances Maritimes , the Bureau Veritas name was adopted in 1829...
, DQS
DQS
DQS Holding GmbH based in Frankfurt am Main is the holding company of the worldwide DQS-UL Group. The group provides assessments and certifications of management systems and processes of any type.- History :...
, SGS S.A., TÜV
Tuv
Tuv may refer to the following geographical locations:*Töv Province in Mongolia*Tuv in Hemsedal municipality, Buskerud, Norway*Tuv in Bodø municipality, Nordland, NorwayTUV may also refer to the following:*Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation...
, or UTAC
UTAC
United Test and Assembly Center Ltd is one of the largest providers of test and assembly services for a wide range of semiconductor devices, including memory, mixed-signal/RF and logic integrated circuits...
. 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.
Effects
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.External links
- ISO/TS 16949:2009 Quality management systems—Particular requirements for the application of ISO 9001:2008 for automotive production and relevant service part organizations
Certification bodies :