Implementation walkthrough
How to implement IATF 16949: video walkthrough
A walkthrough of an IATF 16949 implementation at a manufacturing site, from confirming eligibility to the stage 1 readiness assessment and stage 2 audit.
Key takeaways
- IATF 16949 is applied together with ISO 9001:2015 and your customers' specific requirements.
- Certification is per manufacturing site; support functions are audited with it.
- Customer-specific requirements are mapped into the system from the start.
- Only IATF-recognised certification bodies can audit and certify.
- Certificates are recorded in the IATF database.
The automotive quality standard, on top of ISO 9001
IATF 16949 is the quality management system standard of the global automotive industry, written and owned by the International Automotive Task Force, which also runs the certification scheme behind it. It sets out what a supplier's quality system must do to prevent defects and reduce variation and waste, and it replaced ISO/TS 16949 in 2016.
It is not a stand-alone standard. IATF 16949 is applied together with ISO 9001:2015: ISO 9001 supplies the base requirements, IATF 16949 adds the automotive requirements clause by clause, and your customers' specific requirements sit on top. A certificate is evidence of all three working together at a manufacturing site, which is why OEMs and Tier 1 buyers ask for it before nominating a supplier. This short film walks through how that system is implemented.
The route to an IATF 16949 certificate
Confirm eligibility and define the scope: the manufacturing sites, extended sites, support functions, products and customers in scope, and the customer-specific requirements that apply. Certification is site-specific and available where automotive products are manufactured; design centres, head offices and warehouses are audited as support functions of the manufacturing site.
A gap analysis against IATF 16949, ISO 9001 and the customer-specific requirements identifies what is missing, from the core tools to contingency plans, preserves effective practice and agrees actions, owners and dates. Implementation follows with the plant team, the system runs and produces evidence, and internal audits and management review close the findings. A certification body recognised by the IATF then carries out the stage 1 readiness assessment and the stage 2 audit under the IATF Rules 6th Edition and decides; certificates are recorded in the IATF database.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants build the system with your plant team, including coaching on the core tools, under Sterling OS™, with the records held in Effivity.
For the plant, the useful measure of success is whether the system prevents defects and reduces variation on the lines your customers depend on, not only whether the audit is passed.
IATF 16949 at a glance
- Purpose
- Automotive quality management: defect prevention, less variation and waste, and parts that conform to customer, statutory and regulatory requirements
- Relevant to
- Sites that manufacture automotive production, service, replacement or accessory parts, with or without embedded software, from Tier 1 to the sub-tiers
- Edition
- IATF 16949:2016, first edition, applied with ISO 9001:2015 and your customers' specific requirements; a second edition is in preparation, planned for 2027
- Certification
- Audited and decided by an IATF-recognised certification body under the IATF Rules 6th Edition; certificates are recorded in the IATF database
- Sterling's role
- Implementation with your plant team, core tools coaching, Effivity, training, internal audits and readiness for stage 1 and stage 2, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an IATF 16949 QMS depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 9 to 18 months
IATF 16949: questions people ask
Can we get IATF 16949 certified without ISO 9001?
No. IATF 16949 is not a stand-alone standard; it is implemented as a supplement to ISO 9001:2015 and in conjunction with it, and the audit covers the ISO 9001 requirements, the IATF 16949 supplements and your customers' specific requirements together. You do not need a separate ISO 9001 certificate first, but you do need the whole ISO 9001 system in place.
Is our company eligible for IATF 16949 certification?
Certification is available to sites that manufacture automotive production, service, replacement or accessory parts for automotive customers, including aftermarket and remanufactured parts; the IATF has confirmed that EV charging systems and their components are eligible as accessory parts. Design centres, head offices and distribution centres are audited as support functions of a manufacturing site and cannot be certified on their own; if you only design, trade or distribute, the answer is normally ISO 9001.
Does Sterling issue the IATF 16949 certificate?
No. Sterling provides consulting and hands-on support. Only a certification body under contract with an IATF oversight office may audit and certify to IATF 16949; it makes the decision, and the certificate is recorded in the IATF database, where your customers can verify it.
What are the core tools, and do we have to use the AIAG manuals?
The core tools are APQP with the control plan, PPAP, FMEA, MSA and SPC. IATF 16949 requires the methods; which reference manual applies is set by your customers' specific requirements, which is why many suppliers work to the AIAG manuals, the joint AIAG and VDA FMEA Handbook and, for German OEMs, the VDA volumes. We coach your engineers in the manuals your customers name.
What are customer-specific requirements and where do we find them?
CSRs are the additional requirements each automotive customer adds to IATF 16949 for its suppliers. The IATF's OEM members publish theirs on the IATF website; other OEMs and Tier 1 customers issue supplier manuals and portal requirements of their own. Every direct customer's requirements have to be identified, documented in the system and audited.
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The complete guide
Everything on IATF 16949
Start with the IATF 16949 page, or go straight to the guide you need.
On the IATF 16949 page
- What are the main IATF 16949 requirements?
- How do you get IATF 16949 certified?
- How much does IATF 16949 certification cost?
- How long does IATF 16949 certification take?
- Who needs IATF 16949 certification?
- How IATF 16949 supports launch performance and customer confidence
- Frequently asked questions about IATF 16949
Guides
- IATF 16949 case study
- The IATF 16949 certification process under the IATF Rules, step by step
- IATF 16949 core tools
- IATF 16949 core tools and CSR checklist
- IATF 16949 certification cost
- IATF 16949 customer-specific requirements
- IATF 16949 documentation
- Effivity IATF 16949 guide
- IATF 16949 internal audit
- IATF 16949 requirements explained
- IATF 16949 vs ISO 9001, AS9100 and ISO 13485
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