AUTOMOTIVE QUALITY STANDARDS – PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

R. Scott Bagley
Manager of Registration Services,
ITT Technologies, Inc.

Signifigant changes in quality standards are underway in the automotive world. Many years ago, the world of automotive quality standards was as diverse as the numbers of customers and even individuals within customer base. Since the mid-1990’s, there has been significant progress in aligning quality standards. Spurred by the resounding success of the ISO 9000 series of quality management standards, one of the first efforts to harmonize requirements among automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEM) was achieved by the “Big Three” – Chrysler, Ford, and GM - the result of which is known as QS9000. This document was built around a core of ISO 9001:1994 requirements with other automotive generic and OEM specific requirements added.

In December of 2000, ISO, based in Geneva Switzerland, published a revised version of its ISO 9000 series of standards known as ISO 9001:2000. Upon release, this began a transition period where the previous version would be obsolete as of December 15, 2003. This cast all existing registrations to QS9000 into doubt, as they were built on the ISO standards. The answer to this dilemma is the second generation of automotive specific standards known as TS 16949. Originally published in 1999 and revised in 2002, this standard is based on ISO 9001:2000, QS 9000 (US), VDA6.1 (German), AVSQ (Italy), and EAQF (French) standards. The TS 16949 Technical Specification is now seen as an alternative to but not necessarily a replacement for QS, VDAS, AVSQ, and EAQF.

Registration Deadlines

Various automakers have imposed deadlines for registration to the new Technical Specification. Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen have declared that TS 16949 is the sole requirement and must be implemented by July 1, 2004. Those suppliers registered to the previous version of the Technical Standard must be registered by December 15, 2004.

DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM have jointly issued a communiqué regarding transition. The agreement to include the text of ISO 9001:1994 in QS9000 ends as of December 14, 2006. At this time, TS 16949 should replace QS. However all suppliers are strongly urged to upgrade at the end of their current certifications. Those suppliers already registered to TS 16949:1999 should upgrade before the expiration of their current certificate or December 14, 2004, whichever is sooner. Volkswagen has issued official communications that either VDA or TS 16949 are acceptable alternatives for compliance.

Process Approach

The most significant change in this standard from QS9000 is the integration of the process approach. This challenges those implementing the standard to move from looking at individual departments to overall processes that may span various levels of the organization and departments and even outside the organization. This is a more real world approach in looking at how things actually happen. Those implementing this standard will be required to define the major processes, including administrative and system support as well as manufacturing processes. Once defined, each process must be analyzed to look at how each process operates, the resources required, and the operational measures of that process to ensure the effective functioning. There is also an increased focus on objectives of an organization and the true role of top management. All told, this standard raises the bar for those systems within an organization that help to ensure the quality of those products provided to the OEM’s. The ultimate goal is obviously a more superior product to the consumer.