Benefits of implementing IATF 16949 and achieving certification

Requirements in the automotive supply chain

The manufacture, production and distribution of automotive products form a global industry. A supplier making even a very small component, such as a fastener used in a machine assembly, can mass-produce large quantities and export them for use by major vehicle manufacturers worldwide.

Vehicle manufacturers therefore use a wide variety of specialized components from many suppliers, while a single component manufacturer may supply several major automotive companies. This creates a need to establish common requirements across differences in geography, culture, climate, economic development, product design and national legal requirements.

Suppliers must fulfil their commitments on schedules, quantities and product types, as well as rigorous requirements for production part approval (PPAP), customer-focused quality planning (APQP), potential failure analysis (FMEA) and analysis of measurement system errors that affect product quality (MSA). Implementing and obtaining certification for an IATF 16949 quality management system provides an integrated framework for addressing these requirements.

The implementation of IATF 16949 shares fundamental characteristics with ISO 9001:2015. This gives IATF 16949 the advantage of recognition within the automotive sector together with the worldwide reach of a widely used management system standard.

This helps organizations address the demanding, specific requirements of major manufacturers worldwide through the following benefits:

Benefits for organizations

1. Improve product quality and management processes by closely monitoring and regularly updating customer requirements; increase customer satisfaction; rationalize and optimize factory layouts and production lines; and apply automotive-specific practices to respond to changes in the business environment and market demands.
2. Build confidence in IATF 16949-certified organizations worldwide and reduce unnecessary production costs, such as transport, storage and rework, by doing things right the first time and aligning objectives, plans, cost, quality and delivery performance.
3. Reduce variation in quality.
4. Increase labour productivity.
5. Establish a common language in manufacturing and business, avoiding misunderstandings and obstacles to management system improvement.