ISO 16949

What is ISO 16949? ISO 16949 is a standard designed for the automotive sector, targeting continuous improvement, defect prevention, waste reduction, and supply-chain quality.

The standard was published in March 2002 by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It aligns with country-specific regulations.

ISO/TS 16949 applies to automotive design, implementation, production, assembly, service, and the broader automotive sector. The standard requires ISO 16949 certification across the supply chain.

ISO 16949 consolidates automotive standards such as EAQF (France), VDA 6 (Germany), AVSQ (Italy), and QS 9000 (United States) into a single standard.

The automotive industry quality system applies across all units. Automotive products in scope include:

• Passenger cars
• Light commercial vehicles
• Trucks
• Buses
• Motorcycles

Products outside the scope

• Vehicles used only for industrial and agricultural purposes

ISO/TS 16949 automotive standard. The standard has eight main clauses:

• Clauses 1-3 Introduction and foreword
• Clause 4 Quality management system
• Clause 5 Management responsibility
• Clause 6 Resource management
• Clause 7 Product realisation
• Clause 8 Measurement, analysis, and improvement

The clearest difference between ISO 16949 and ISO 9001 is that ISO 16949 adds automotive-sector customer-specific requirements on top of the quality management system.

ISO 16949 certification: ISO/TS 16949 applies across the supply chain. Certification follows defined certification rules. The certificate is valid for three years with annual surveillance audits. A third-party auditor conducts the audits. After the three-year period, the certificate is renewed.

Today, it is very difficult for a company without ISO 16949 certification to sell to automotive manufacturers. Contact Eurocert's specialists with any questions on the ISO/TS 16949 certificate.