Introduction to IATF 16949

What is IATF 16949?

IATF 16949 is a quality management standard for manufacturers and suppliers in the global automotive industry, developed and published by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF).

Development of the standard

The predecessor to IATF 16949 was ISO/TS 16949. First published in 1999, it brought together the foundations of QS-9000, France’s EAQF, Italy’s AVSQ and Germany’s VDA 6. The second edition, ISO/TS 16949:2002, further developed the standard on the basis of ISO 9001:2000 and provided more detailed automotive-specific technical requirements for manufacturers of cars, motorcycles and related replacement parts.

In 2016, this developed into a new edition: IATF 16949:2016.

Role and objectives

A fundamental benefit of the standard is that it gives major automotive manufacturers in Asia, Europe and the Americas access to a globally recognized approach to quality management. A distinguishing feature highlighted in this article is its emphasis on the supplier’s management processes, rather than only on final results.

The purpose of IATF 16949 is continual improvement, defect prevention, and the reduction of variation and waste throughout the supply chain.

Expectations for organizations

The standard requires suppliers to focus on continual improvement throughout their organizations. Examples include regularly monitoring customer requirements and communicating with customers to supply products of the required quality, and assigning customer representation responsibilities. IATF 16949 also calls for training to improve employee competence and awareness and for clear responsibilities for quality. Competence is addressed in areas such as process design, design and development, monitoring and measurement of processes and products, and data analysis.

IATF 16949:2016 is the latest edition identified in this article of the quality management system standard specifically for the automotive industry.