Success in the cutthroat automotive industry does not come easy. Rather, a path is strewn with thorns along the way. It is how you maintain your standards, sustain the level of technical innovation, and ensure premium quality, that will ultimately decide whether you can stay counted in the automotive industry. 

Only Organizations that manage their standard and maintain a management system certified according to IATF 16949 will be able to win customers’ trust.

What is IATF 16949:2016?

IATF 16949:2016 Automotive Quality Management Systems is a global technical specification and quality management standard for the automotive industry. It is today widely recognized as the world’s premier quality standard in the automotive industry. That’s because not only does it lay down stringent quality standards, but it also combines several car manufacturer and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) requirements into one certification. In short, it harmonizes different assessments and certification systems in the global automotive supply chain.

Before organizations look to acquire IATF 16949:2016 Automotive Quality Management Systems Certification, they need to know all about the best practices to adhere to when designing, developing, manufacturing, installing or servicing automotive products. 

Benefits of IATF 16949:2016

Automotive supplying companies, irrespective of their size, can gain great benefits from using IATF 16949:2016 Automotive Quality Management Systems. Some of the benefits are listed below:

Enhance Brand Image and Status

If your automotive supply company has an IATF 16949:2016 automotive quality management system, it will earn plaudits from the players in the automotive industry.  They will see it as having implemented and sustained a system that meets the global requirements and is certified by a recognized certification body. 

As a result, it will enhance their trust in your products and regard them as credible enough to deliver what it promises.

Meet Quality Standards

Quality is paramount in the automotive industry. Big names in the automotive industry expect no less than a quality automotive product without any defects that is value for their money. So you need to exhibit an IATF 16949 Certification to demonstrate that you indeed provide such high-quality automotive products.

With an IATF 16949 Certification, you will also be able to elevate your profile and attract big customers who are cash-rich, to buy your supplies without a trace of doubt.

Create Fully-Integrated Processes

An IATF 16949 Certification will help your automotive company to fully integrate the processes. When they are fully and well-integrated, individual processes can work in better tandem with each other thereby facilitating better interactions.

This way, you can discover which areas require improvisation. As a result of this, there will be healthier resource savings within the company.

Create a Culture of Innovation & Improvement

Having an IATF 16949 Certification will help your company create a robust system of innovation and improvement. This will help make better products and/or services and sustain a process of continual improvements.

The more there are improvements in the system, the more time, money, and other resources you can save. It will also enable you to focus more on priority issues and get your workforce to improve the processes they are directly responsible for.

Foster Evidence-Based Decision Making

You will be better positioned to take decision-making based on credible evidence. When you make decisions based on evidence, then you can better target your resources to areas that need them the most. This way, you can make optimal use of the resources and correct problems. Eventually, it will improve their efficiency, effectiveness, and bottom-line.

Ultimately, making decisions based on sound evidence remains key to the success of an IATF 16949:2016 QMS.

Improve Employee Engagement

An IATF 16949:2016 Certification will help earn instant respect from people who matter. It will also help encourage your own employees to work within their process to find effective solutions for improving process efficiency and effectiveness.

As a result, you can facilitate healthier employee engagement, and also get your workforce to focus on managing and improving their working processes.

Enhance Customer Satisfaction

Along with a better focus on employee engagement, the IATF 16949 Certification will also ensure that automotive suppliers like you focus on improving customer satisfaction also. This will also enable you to identify and meet customer needs better and eventually facilitate repeat customer business.

IATF 16949:2016 Certification will also enable you to

•         Streamline the processes and better manage costs. As a result, unexpected situations and related costs can be significantly reduced.
•         Manage risks by anticipating and staying prepared to face the situation. A risk management approach will also make the organization improve its products/services.
•         Stay flexible. to meet new standard requirements. It will eventually send across the message that the organization is robust and mature to adapt and change.

Overall, an IATF 16949:2016 Automotive Quality Management Systems will help automotive suppliers to be recognized as world-class automotive suppliers, gain access to international automotive supply-chain markets, mitigate risks and improve opportunities through risk-driven thinking, and integrate their systems with other management systems standards.

Conclusion

Getting an IATF 16949 Certification is no easy walkover. This is where you can count on IRQS to help with the implementation of an IATF 16949 automotive quality management system, which will ensure product quality and meet your clients’ needs.

All you have to do is to meet certain specific requirements. Once done, IRQS will guide you, and give you great insights to enhance quality and acquire IATF 16949:2016 Automotive Quality Management Systems Certification.