|
|
|
|
 |
HOME : ISO/TS 16949:2002
|
|
WHAT IS ISO/TS 16949?
ISO/Technical Specification (TS) 16949:2002, Quality management systems — Particular requirements for the application of ISO 900I:2000 for automotive production and relevant service part organizations, is a quality management systems standard that was developed by the International Automotive Task Force (1ATF).
This standard is the end product of the most widespread standardization effort in the history of the automotive industry. By standardizing their quality management systems, international automotive suppliers no longer have to satisfy multiple national automotive quality standards, which were often contradictory and led to redundant audits. ISO/TS 16949 removes that burden, making it easier for suppliers to do business with automotive manufacturers around the world.
This automotive standard applies to all internal and external suppliers of:
1. Production or service parts.
2. Production materials.
3. Heat treating, painting, plating or other finishing services directly relating to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers.
1SO/TS 16949 combines many of the automotive sector-specific requirements of the American QS-9000, German VDA 6.1, French EAQF and Italian AVSQ quality standards with ISO 9001:2000, the core ISO 9000 quality management systems standard, which has been incorporated in its entirety. British and Japanese automakers also participated in its development. None of these national automotive quality standards has been revised to align with ISO 9001:2000 and all will be replaced by 1SO/TS 16949.
Continual improvement is an aim of 1SO/TS 16949. Registration is the only objective way to assure your customers that you are providing quality products. 1SO/TS 16949 registration is objective because a registrar, an independent certifying body. performs regular audits to verify whether your quality management system is meeting all requirements. This independent evaluation is important to the customer because it is an unbiased guarantee that your company is performing at its highest level.
Because ISO 9000 is the foundation of this standard, one must have a basic knowledge of ISO 9000 in order to fully understand the fundamentals of 1SO/TS 16949. A brief description of this series of standards follows.
The Origin of ISO 9000
ISO 9000 is a series of quality management systems standards created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a federation of 132 national standards bodies based in Geneva, Switzerland. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the member body representing the United States.
The ISO 9000 quality management standards arc not specific to products or services, but apply to the processes that create them, The standards are generic in nature so that they can be used by manufacturing and service industries all over the world. First released in 1987 and revised in a limited manner in 1994, they underwent a major overhaul in 2000.
ISO 9000 is the descendant of a number of earlier quality standards, including the British BS 5750 and DRF/STAN 05-8, the NATO AQAP-1 and the U.S. Department of Defense MIL-Q-985 8A. The purpose for developing ISO 9000 was to simplify the international exchange of goods and services by creating a common set of quality standards.
BS 5750 had the greatest influence on this international standard when it was first released by ISO in 1987. Most industrialized nations quickly adopted harmonized versions of ISO 9000. These national versions, which are identical to the international standard, include the American ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9000, sponsored by ANSI and the American Society for Quality (ASQ). and the European Union's EN 29000.
ISO 9000 is intended to establish, document and maintain a system for ensuring the output quality of a process, It is not mysterious or esoteric, consisting instead of a group of common sense and generally well-known precepts laid out in an organized fashion.
When implemented correctly. ISO 900I:2000 can offer a company several advantages. It will guide it to build quality into its products or services, and help it to avoid costly inspections, warranty costs and rework.
Today, the international standards are sanctioned by the 15 nations of the European Union (EU), making ISO 900I:2000 registration a virtual prerequisite for doing business there.
Previously, there were more than 20 ISO 9000 standards and documents, and this proliferation raised concerns among ISO 9000 users and consumers. In response, ISO/Techmcal Committee (TC) 176, Quality Management and Quality Assurance, agreed that the 2000 revisions would consist of four primary standards, supported by several technical reports. These four primary standards are:
ISO 9000:2000, Qualify Management Systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary. This document, which replaced ISO 8402:1994, Quality Management and Quality Assurance Vocabulary, and ISO 9000-1:1994, Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standards - Part 1: Guidelines for Selection and Use, simplifies the quality language, which consists of the terms, definitions and principles that accompany the standard. It is expected to clear up confusion about the standard's meaning by combining the terms and definitions in ISO 8402 and 9000-1 into one easy to understand document. In addition to a revised vocabulary, this standard includes an introduction to quality concepts.
ISO 9001:2000, Quality Management Systems - Requirements. This document replaced the three previous registration standards: ISO 9001; 1994, Quality Systems - Model/or Quality Assurance in Design, Development, Production, Installation and Servicing, ISO 9002:1994, Quality Systems - Model for Quality Assurance in Production, Installation and Servicing and ISO 9003:1994, Quality Systems - Model/or Quality Assurance in Final Inspection and Test. It addresses an organization's quality management requirements, in order to demonstrate its capability to meet customer requirements, and applies to all generic product categories, such as hardware, software, processed materials and services. This standard can be tailored to fit an organization's operations through reduction in scope, thereby eliminating the need for the less comprehensive ISO 9002 and 9003. Section 1.2, Application, states, "Where any requirement(s) of this International Standard cannot be applied due to the nature of an organization and its product, this can be considered for exclusion. Where exclusions are made, claims of conformity to this International Standard are not acceptable unless these exclusions are limited to requirements within Clause 7 (Product Realization), and such exclusions do not affect the organization's ability, or responsibility, to provide product that meets customer and applicable regulator)"requirements." Under ISO/TS 16949, only Element 7.3, Design and Development, may be excluded by organizations that are not responsible for product design and development.
ISO 9004:2000, Quality Management Systems - Guidelines for Performance Improvements. This standard, which replaced ISO 9004-1:1994, Quality Management and Quality System Elements - Part 1: Guidelines, provides guidance beyond ISO 9001:2000 towards developing a comprehensive quality management system to improve an organization's overall performance. While following the same structure as ISO 9001:2000, it is not an ISO 9001 implementation or conformance guide. Instead, it gives guidance on all aspects of a quality management system, based on the principles of customer focus. leadership, involvement of people, system approach to management, continual improvement, factual approach to decision making, and mutually beneficial supplier relationships. ISO 9004 is useful in auditing the effectiveness of a company's quality management system, with the goal of achieving benefits for all stakeholder groups through sustained customer satisfaction,
• ISO 19011:2002, Guidelines on Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems Auditing. Initially, ISO/TC 176 was to draft ISO 10011, Guidelines for Auditing Quality Systems, which would integrate and replace the three quality system auditing standards: ISO 10011 -1:1990, Guidelines for Auditing Quality Systems - Part 1: Auditing, ISO 10011-2:1991, Guidelines for Auditing Quality Systems - Part 2: Qualifications Criteria for Quality Systems Auditors, and ISO 10011-3:1991, Guidelines for Auditing Quality Systems - Part 3: Management of Audit Programs. Instead, the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Quality and Environmental Auditing, consisting of experts from ISO/TC 176 /SC 3, Auditing and ISO/TC 207, Environmental Management, SC 2, Environmental Auditing; agreed to draft a joint quality and environmental management systems auditing standard, ISO 19011. It will apply to first, second and third party audits; auditor qualification criteria; and audit program management. ISO 1901 1 is scheduled for release in 2002, replacing ISO 1001 1-1, 10011-2 and 10011-3, along with the three environmental auditing standards: ISO 14010:1996, Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - General Principles, ISO 14011:1996, Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Audit Procedures -Auditing of Environmental Management Systems, and ISO 14012:1996, Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Qualification Criteria for Environmental Auditors.
As of this writing, the remaining old ISO 9000 standards are being reviewed by ISO/TC 176 for incorporation within the four revised standards, withdrawal or reissue as technical reports.
|
|
Markel Corporation
435 School Lane
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
610-272-8960
|
|
