Part 1: Automotive Restart: Remaining Compliant To IATF 16949®

Part 1 of our series focuses on the automotive restart and the importance of remaining compliant with IATF 16949_®.  We begin with the 4 M’s of your processes and consider the IATF 16949_® requirements during this restart process.

The 4 M’s – Materials, Methods, Manpower and Measure

Materials

The conventional wisdom indicates that supply chain disruptions will be evident during this restart activity (a few references include the Wall Street Journal article on April 26, 2020 “Coronavirus Supply Chains That Companies are Still Fixing” and Automotive News article on April 20, 2020 “Restart Rules”).  Your organization’s circumstances may vary greatly.  Nevertheless, the standard requirements need to be considered if the supply chain is disrupted or new suppliers are brought on board:

1. IATF 16949_® Section 8.3.4.4-PPAP and the customer’s approval of new suppliers
2. IATF 16949_® Section 8.4.1.2-supplier selection process
3. IATF 16949_® Section 8.5.6.1-change management
4. Risk management considerations referenced throughout the standard

Methods

Most likely changes to established methods will occur due to a number of factors, including reduction in customer volumes, reduction in headcount, change to process layout due to social distancing, etc.  When considering changing methods, the following standard requirements need to be considered:

1. Risk management and mitigation of the revised process from previously approved processes
2. IATF 16949_® Section 8.3.4.4-PPAP and customer’s notification requirements of process changes
3. IATF 16949_® Section 8.5.6.1-change management
4. IATF 16949_® Section 8.5.6.1.1-temporary change management
5. IATF 16949_® Section 8.3.6.1-process or product design changes
6. APQP output including FMEAs, Control Plans, work instructions, inspection instructions, etc.

Manpower

The restart may introduce changes to your organization’s headcount and the responsibilities of the employees.  There may also be changes to the organization’s policies and safe working practices (reference: Bloomberg article April 16, 2020 “Automakers Will Need Months to Get Factories Back Up and Running”).  If facing these challenges, please consider the standard requirements mentioned above, as well as:

1. ISO 9001 and IATF 16949_® Section 5 and Section 7-policies, responsibilities and authorities, competency requirements, process ownership changes, etc.

Measures

The restart will, more than likely, impact the original 2020 business planning goals and objectives established for your organization.  New goals, objectives, KPIs, metrics may need to be considered and established as a “new normal” settles into the industry.  When thinking about revising the organization goals, consider the standard’s requirements including:

1. IATF 16949_® Section 6.2.2.1-setting performance targets
2. ISO 9001 and IATF 16949_® Section 9-monitoring and measurement of process, customer satisfaction indicators, and reporting during management review

Automotive Restart: Part 2

Part 2 of this series will include a discussion on maintaining customer satisfaction while working through the challenges of restart.

SimpleQuE strives to be an informational source that provides value to our customers by examining some of the challenges identified by the automotive industries and provide insight into the IATF 16949_® requirements to help your organization maintain compliance during this unusual and complex time. 

Understand Your Options

Get Advice From An Expert

MAQMSR vs IATF 16949®

Automotive Restart: The Road To Recovery Series

Full Automotive Restart Five-Part Series Links:

• Automotive Restart: The Road To Recovery (Intro)
• Automotive Restart: Remaining Compliant to IATF 16949®
• Automotive Restart: Customer Satisfaction
• Automotive Restart: Managing Change
• Automotive Restart: Contigency Planning
• Automotive Restart: Employee Safety

We Can Help: IATF 16949^® Experts a Click Away

If you’re searching for an IATF 16949:2016 consultant, our team at simpleQuE is well-positioned to support your IATF 16949® and MAQMSR consulting (Minimum Automotive Quality Management System Requirements), certification, maintenance, training and internal auditing needs. Our consultants are qualified, certified, and are experts on the automotive standards, customer-specific requirements, and AIAG or VDA core tools. In addition, many are current or former 3rd party auditors who bring valuable insight because of the knowledge gained from auditing for certification bodies.

SimpleQuE also offers a full line-up of IATF 16949 training courses which includes AIAG and VDA Core Tools, Root Cause Analysis and Problem Solving, Requirements and Implementation.  With IATF® also putting a major focus on internal auditor competency, it is essential to have IATF 16949® Internal Auditor Training. Our IATF 16949® auditor training utilizes the process audit approach. Contact Our IATF® consultants to learn more about the customized services offered to match your certification and training needs.

Obtaining and maintaining IATF 16949®, and meeting all of the related Customer Specific Requirements (CSRs), is difficult, which is why we’ve created free IATF 16949® tools, checklists and resources for your use. 

This series of articles was written by Robert (Bob) Dornhecker, a simpleQuE consultant who specializes in ISO 9001 and IATF 16949® quality system development, auditing and training. He also performs third-party audits for Certification Bodies. With over 35 years of combined experience in auditing, manufacturing and certification, Bob has an extensive quality background.  Additionally, he has taught and facilitated many quality-related training classes for clients and has provided support to companies securing their own ISO/Quality Management Systems certifications.

SimpleQuE is not associated with the IATF®, IAOB, ANAB®, IAQG®, and is not a certification body. SimpleQuE is an independent consulting, training, and second-party auditing service provider that assists a company on a path for the company to obtain and maintain certification through accredited certification bodies.