Nearly every person connected to automotive manufacturing should be aware that September 2018 is the deadline for IATF 16949 compliance certification. That’s less than a year from now! Are you ready?
This is something that is often on my mind, and I recently read a report from the IAOB (International Automotive Oversight Bureau) regarding the IATF 16949 certification progress. When I read this latest report, I was blown away to learn that:
- Only five percent of IATF 16949 audits have been successfully obtained
- The new Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) standards are in the top eight areas of audit noncompliance thus far
Why Are so Few IATF 16949 Audits Being Completed?
That such a small percentage of audits have been completed tells me that either companies are not pursuing compliance aggressively or that they are still trying to interpret requirements in order to demonstrate compliance.
TPM being in the top eight noncompliance list, compels me to make sure that everyone is fully aware that plant maintenance programs are now under official audit scrutiny for IATF compliance. They will be audited, as cited in the top eight report.
Start Preparing for IATF 16949 Compliance Certification Now
Since I am personally passionate about plant maintenance and reliability (some would say downright nerdy), I also want to ensure that all my QAD cohorts are aware that QAD Enterprise Asset Management (QAD EAM) successfully addresses each of these IATF standards for TPM per our internal review. I’m very proud of this, if you can’t tell. You may be wondering how we were able to accomplish this so quickly…
This is all possible because QAD has a team of in-house automotive experts who have thoroughly reviewed all of the IATF 16949 requirements and matched each with how our solutions support compliance. See for yourself in the white paper, Embracing the IATF 16949 Automotive Standard.
As someone who cares deeply about manufacturing, it all comes down to two very important points of advice:
- If you haven’t already started working toward your compliance certification, start now.
- In your quest, pay close attention to meeting the new TPM plant maintenance requirements!
If you would like to chat about how your QAD EAM supports your IATF 16949 TPM requirements, please leave a comment — I would love to discuss this further with you.
Good luck and happy compliance preparations!
