Last month, the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) held a stakeholder conference in Rome to review the first revision of the international automotive quality standard ISO/TS 16949.

ISO/TS 16949 defines the requirements for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention, and the reduction of variation and waste in the automotive supply chain. The standard, in conjunction with ISO 9001:2008, defines the quality management system requirements for the design and development, production, and, when relevant, installation and service of automotive-related products.

The conference was attended by representatives of close to 100 recognized certification bodies, supplier organizations, and IATF member organizations.

The proposed transition plan for organizations currently certified to ISO/TS 16949:2009 was also subject to review at the conference.

Ahead of the anticipated release of the revised standard in the third quarter of 2016, the IATF will review all feedback received against the first draft, along with the proposed transition plan, before selecting supplier sites for pilot gap assessments.

For organizations currently certified to ISO/TS 16949, the transition period is expected to begin in 2017 and will conclude in September 2018 to align with the transition deadline for ISO 9001:2015. Click here to view the outline transition plan.