IATF16949 is the automotive standard. IATF16949 was first released in 1994 as QS9000 then in 2009 they changed the name to TS16949 then in 2016 they changed the name again to IATF16949. It took ISO 9001 as the base of the standard then added the additional automotive requirements. The IATF16949 standard is not government-related and too has developed standards to ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and processes are in place.
Implementing an effective and robust IATF16949 quality management system will help your company focus on the important areas of your business and improve efficiency. The processes implemented by the company will provide a solid foundation, leading to increased productivity and profit. IATF 16949 provides guidelines intended to increase business efficiency and customer satisfaction. The goal of IATF 16949 is to embed a quality management system into your company, increasing productivity, reducing costs, and ensuring quality processes and products for the aerospace industry.
IATF16949 Requirements
One of the requirements of IATF16949 is for the company to do an internal audit on their system this is where Audits4U comes in. You can train your employees to be internal auditors which is costly and what usually happens is the employee doesn’t like being an auditor or they get the experience then leave your company to go somewhere else. Audits4U will do an internal audit for your company. Don’t have time to do your supplier audits, Audits4U will audit your suppliers.
To be IATF 16949 certified means to certify a company’s management system, manufacturing process and documentation meet the requirements of IATF16949.
Steps to certification are
- Implement the type of quality management system (ISO9001, AS9100, ISO13485, or IATF16949) into your company.
- One of the requirements is to do an internal audit of your system, Audits4U can help you.
- Once you have implemented all the requirements of the quality management system (ISO9001, AS9100, ISO13485, or IATF16949) you need to choose an accredited registrar. You can search for an accredited registrar also known as a certification body under ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board) which ensures impartiality and competence. ANAB performs your 3rd party audit.