. 
When you look at standards like IATF 16949 or ISO 9001, the requirements boil down to two essential elements: improving customer satisfaction and reducing risk.
They go hand in hand, because effective risk management means safer products and happier customers—and fewer problems for their suppliers.
To help automotive suppliers proactively avoid quality and safety issues, we’re looking at 4 important places to focus for improving risk management and reducing costs.
Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a core tool for reducing automotive and aerospace manufacturing risks. And yet, companies routinely waste 80% of the potential value of the FMEA process.
Particularly for manufacturers on the lower end of the maturity spectrum, FMEAs are simply a theoretical exercise for maintaining a certification or meeting customer requirements. These manufacturers may fill out an FMEA and even add a few countermeasures, but ultimately it’s just another form to file away and forget about.
If you had your AS9100 transition audit tomorrow, could you say right now whether you would pass? More importantly, do you know where the gaps are in your processes that could trigger non-conformities?
AS9100 is the leading standard for aerospace management systems, required by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers worldwide as a condition of doing business. The most recent version of the standard, AS9100 Revision D, was released in 2016, giving manufacturers until September 15, 2018 before AS9100 Revision C certificates expire.
To ensure a smooth transition, suppliers need to be aware of several key changes to the standard. Avoiding an interruption in business means proactively planning your transition strategy, focusing on training, gap analysis and internal audits.
In less than a year, all ISO/TS 16949:2009 certificates will officially expire, with IATF 16949:2016 replacing the standard on September 14, 2018. Over 67,000 suppliers will need to make the transition, and there’s no time to waste in understanding the new requirements and gaps to address.
So what are the big changes automotive suppliers need to comply with? More than just a basic update, IATF incorporates dozens of new requirements covering areas like management accountability, risk management, and internal audits.
PLANT FLOOR QUALITY
Mobile Auditing Software
We’re reshaping the world of archaic paper-based processes like layered process audits (LPAs), 5s, health & safety, Gemba, and mitigation management, all through our intuitive mobile software, Beacon Quality.
