The specific standard for the automotive supply chain. If you sell to Volkswagen, Ford, Stellantis, Renault, BMW or Daimler, IATF 16949 is a market entry requirement, not optional.
IATF 16949:2016 is the International Automotive Task Force standard that defines the quality management system requirements specific to organisations in the automotive supply chain. Published in October 2016, it replaced the former ISO/TS 16949 and integrates the Customer Specific Requirements (CSRs) of the major brands —Ford, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Renault, BMW and Daimler— into a single document, so suppliers no longer need separate audits for each OEM. Certification is granted by a certification body accredited by the IATF (in Spain, entities such as AENOR, Bureau Veritas or SGS); Summum Calidad guides you through the entire implementation process until the external auditor signs your certificate.
What distinguishes IATF 16949 from a simple extension of ISO 9001 is its requirements around the sector's core tools: Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP levels 1 to 5), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis —both Design (DFMEA) and Process (PFMEA)—, Measurement System Analysis (MSA) and Statistical Process Control (SPC) capability studies. No OEM accepts serial production without an approved PPAP or an audited control plan. Our team has managed APQP launches for stamping, casting, machining, engineering plastics and wiring harness parts, so we know where the documentary bottlenecks are before the auditor finds them.
Beyond documentation, IATF 16949 requires robust tier-2 supplier management, change control with customer notification, contingency plans for supply continuity, and a lessons-learned system that closes the loop between projects. Since 2007 we have supported component manufacturers in Castilla y León and the Canary Islands, from Tier 1 plants with JIT lines to Tier 2 suppliers with standard products, and we know the Customer Specific Requirements of the main European OEMs. When the certification audit arrives, your system will already have gone through our internal mock audit.
We analyse your current situation against IATF 16949:2016 requirements and the OEM customer's CSRs. We identify critical gaps in core tools, supplier management and process control, and define a work plan with milestones, owners and specific delivery dates.
We develop or review the quality manual, key procedures (change control, non-conforming product, internal audits, lessons learned) and core tool documents: APQP templates, DFMEA/PFMEA with severity-occurrence-detection tables updated to AIAG-VDA 2019, control plans, MSA and SPC studies. We train your quality and engineering team to use them independently.
We manage the preparation of the PPAP submission package —from the significant production run to customer approval— covering all 18 elements of the AIAG standard (4th edition). We coordinate dimensional, material and performance testing, and submit the package to the OEM quality team. If there are rejections or requests for clarification, we resolve them before they affect the SOP (Start of Production).
We conduct a full internal audit to the IATF 16949 standard and verify that the system can withstand scrutiny from an external auditor. We close non-conformities and improvement opportunities with measurable action plans. When the accredited certification body (AENOR, Bureau Veritas, SGS or another) carries out its Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits, your team will already have lived through the process.
The operational detail: what we deliver as part of the work and what we keep alive afterwards.
IATF system documentation
Quality manual, process map, mandatory procedures and records aligned with IATF 16949:2016 requirements and the specific OEM's CSRs.
Complete core tools
Templates and hands-on workshops covering APQP (5 phases), DFMEA/PFMEA (AIAG-VDA 2019 methodology), control plan, MSA (gauge R&R) and SPC (Cpk/Ppk).
PPAP levels 1–5 management
Preparation of the production part approval submission with all 18 AIAG elements, laboratory coordination and presentation to the OEM customer.
Tier-2 supplier management
Selection, evaluation and development procedure for critical suppliers, including self-assessment questionnaires and approval visits.
Training and knowledge transfer
In-person or remote workshops for the quality and engineering team: core tools, CSR interpretation, audit preparation and problem-solving methodology (8D, Ishikawa).
Certification audit support
On-site presence or remote support during the Stage 1 (document review) and Stage 2 (plant audit) audits of the IATF-accredited body.
IATF 16949 typically goes hand in hand with ISO 14001 —because OEMs are demanding increasingly verifiable environmental data— and with ESG/carbon footprint, as Volkswagen, Stellantis and BMW have cascaded their CSRD commitments down to their tier-1 and tier-2 supply chains.
IATF 16949 incorporates ISO 9001:2015 in its entirety as its foundation; if you already hold ISO 9001, the step up to IATF is shorter.
View service → calidadOEMs are demanding increasingly verifiable environmental data from their suppliers; ISO 14001 covers that requirement in a certifiable way.
View service → calidadThe automotive supply chain is being pulled by the CSRD commitments of Volkswagen, Stellantis and BMW; ESG and carbon footprint are the next wave of requirements.
View service →Yes, in practice. IATF 16949:2016 fully incorporates the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 and adds the automotive-specific ones, so IATF certification replaces ISO 9001 certification for automotive activities. If the company has other business lines outside the sector, it may maintain a parallel ISO 9001 certification for those activities.
The certificate is issued by a certification body accredited by the IATF (International Automotive Task Force). In Spain, entities such as AENOR, Bureau Veritas, SGS, TÜV Rheinland or Intertek operate, among others. Summum Calidad does not certify: we guide the system implementation and audit preparation; certification is granted by the accredited third party that the client selects.
The typical timeline ranges from 12 to 18 months for a company starting from ISO 9001. The process includes the gap analysis, system implementation, core tools training, at least one full internal audit cycle and the two-stage certification audit. New part launch projects (PPAP) may overlap with implementation if the OEM's timelines require it.
CSRs are the additional requirements that each OEM publishes on top of the IATF 16949 standard. Ford, Volkswagen, Stellantis, BMW and Renault, among others, publish their own CSRs on their quality portals (e.g., VW's Formel Q, Ford's Customer-Specific Requirements). During implementation, the applicable CSRs must be identified based on your customers and procedures, formats and controls must be adapted specifically to them.
The DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) analyses product failure modes at the design stage, identifying risks that may arise from the concept or specifications themselves. The PFMEA analyses failure modes in the manufacturing process: what can go wrong at each operation and how it is controlled. Both are living documents updated whenever there is a design or process change, and are required in the PPAP submission. Since 2019, the reference standard is the AIAG-VDA FMEA manual.