What is ISO/TS 16949?

ISO/TS 16949 is an internationally recognized Quality Management System specification for the automotive industry.  ISO/TS 16949:2002 is the current version (last updated in the year 2002) of the standard that was developed for the Automotive Industry. It contains all of the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 plus several additional requirements specifically for the Automotive Industry.  Please review our Free Tutorials Page to learn more about these additional requirements.

Why ISO/TS 16949 and not just ISO 16949?

The International Organization of Standards, (ISO) is a worldwide organization that develops many different kinds of standards. One of these standards, ISO 9000 is a series of documents that define the requirements of a Quality Management System Standard. ISO 9001 is one of the documents in this set that defines the actual requirements a company must comply with to become registered to ISO 9001.
Recommendations to ISO for a new specification require 2/3 majority vote to be approved as a Technical Specification (thus the TS).  Once it is approved by 3/4 of the members it becomes a standard.

Why do companies want to Implement ISO/TS 16949?

Registration to ISO/TS 16949 is a requirement for any company wanting to supply its products to the Automotive Industry. Companies registered to this Technical Specification are required to develop their suppliers’ Quality Management Systems with the goal of the supplier conforming to ISO/TS 16949. The first step in this development is often for the supplier to achieve third party registration to ISO 9001:2000.

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Our Documentation and Training Products will help your company get a jump-start on your implementation. Purchase our TS 16949 Employee Training to educate your employees on the impact they have on your company’s quality and also how TS 16949 will affect their job.