As you may already know, IATF 16949 is one of the most widely used standards for improving quality management systems and reducing defects and waste in the automotive industry.

The International Automotive Task Force (IATF) announced that the 6th edition of the Rules for Achieving and Maintaining IATF 16949 certification would be published on March 31, 2024.

Two major changes for the automotive industry manufacturing in 2024

Two important updates that OEMs should expect with this new edition are changes to the discount structure for corporate schemes and the availability of remote audits for independent remote support locations, when they are not responsible for product design.

After publication, the IAOB (International Automotive Oversight Bureau), which is an IATF oversight body that manages the IATF 16949 certification scheme, will allow a nine-month implementation period. It’s important to note that, on January 1, 2025, the previous edition of the IATF rules will become obsolete.

About the APQP Manual Update

The 3rd edition of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) was published by the AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group) on March 1, 2024. It’s important to note that the update to the APQP manual comes sixteen years after the previous edition.

This way, APQP guidelines enable OEMs around the world and their suppliers to plan production in every detail to minimize corrections and meet customer quality requirements.

Before publication, the AIAG released a white paper explaining that the new version of APQP places much more emphasis on management activities such as risk analysis, continuous reviews, and change management, going beyond APQP as a product development methodology towards a using it as a governance framework for the product development process.

Another important development is the publication of the 1st edition of the Control Plan, the document that provides a written summary of the systems used during the Product Quality Planning Cycle. Until now, the Control Plan has always been an integral part of the APQP manual, never a standalone document.

Date Takeaways

• The 6th edition of the IATF Rules for Achieving and Maintaining IATF 16949 certification was published on March 31, 2024.
• The 3rd edition of the APQP manual and the 1st edition of the Control Plan was published on March 1, 2024.

Recommendations

The new IATF rules and APQP guidelines will require OEMs and suppliers to make changes to their quality management systems. Given this circumstance, OEMs and suppliers should start planning, if it hasn’t been done yet, for the implementation of the new IATF rules and APQP guidelines now. They should review the new rules and guidelines carefully to understand the changes that need to be made.

You can read a full article about all the different new rules and guidelines by clicking here.

By taking these steps, OEMs and suppliers can ensure that they are compliant with the new requirements and can continue to produce high-quality products.