ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 are two organizations at different levels. ISO is the short form of the International Organization of Standardization defining standards for QMS.
IATF is the short form of the International Automotive Task Force that defines standards for QMS of specifically Automotive industries.
ISO 9001 is a set of international regulations or standardization implemented by the International Organization of Standardization for a qualitative management system.
These are implemented in all organizations to ensure proper standards in the products. These standards can act as a stand-alone document.
IAFT 16949 is a set of international regulations or standardization implemented by the International Automotive Task Force for a qualitative management system in the Automotive sector of the industries.
To keep the qualities of the motor vehicles in inspection, they set standards and is not a stand-alone document.
Key Takeaways
- ISO 9001 focuses on quality management systems, while IATF 16949 is specific to the automotive industry.
- IATF 16949 requires additional requirements such as a control plan, failure mode, and effects analysis, which are not mandatory in ISO 9001.
- IATF 16949 requires the implementation of Core Tools for Quality Planning and Improvement, which are not mandatory in ISO 9001.
ISO 9001 vs IATF 16949
ISO 9001 is used to describe a general standard that can be applied to any type of organization. IATF 16949 is especially designed to be used for the automotive industry. IATF 16949 includes additional requirements which are specific to automotive quality management systems.
ISO and IATF are both quality management systems. But the field they work for differs in many ways.
ISO works for every organization. ISO 9001 is the rule which consists of many principles and requirements of this organization. To achieve the certification, one had to fulfil every necessity.
IATF 16949, on the other hand, plays a vital role in the Automotive industry. They ensure proper maintenance of product quality, defect prevention, reduction of variation and wastes.
IATF 16949 also shows requirements of high customer satisfaction qualities. They keep the automotive industries in check and act as an extended version of ISO.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | ISO 9001 | IATF 16949 |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | Quality maintenance system for every organization | Quality maintenance system for Automotive industries only. |
| Validation | It is a valid document at a stand-one level | It is not a stand-one document and acts in conjugation with ISO |
| Fields | This is valid for all sites of an organization | This is applicable for the organization sites and doesn’t act in any aftermarket parts |
| Focus | This focus on customer satisfaction much more | This focuses on specific requirements of customers much more |
| Structure | This has proper construction and is much more independent | This doesn’t have a particular constituency and follows ISO |
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is a structure of rules and regulations that the industry is ought to follow to get certified by ISO 9001. These rules are not for any particular organization or industry but all.
They act as a quality management system at the international level. They ensure proper product quality and many other factors.
There are many principles followed by ISO 9001.
Engagement of People in the management, Focusing on customer satisfaction, Development of powerful leadership, Development or improvement,
Proper approaches for the processes, Decision making based on evidence, Management of Relationships, etc., are some of the principles.
Currently, according to the 2015 version, this acts as a very important part of an organization. This is for every organization from every field and doesn’t depend on the size.
This is a process-based standard that is used to control the quality of end products.
This certification has limited validation of 3 years, after which one has to renew it. An individual can also be ISO 9001 certified by going through a 5-day training program.
The person is allowed to audit other companies. Every company need to pass the required test of the latest version to get certified by ISO 9001
What is IATF 16949?
IATF 16949 can be said as an extension of the ISO 9001. This acts as a Quality management system for the automotive industry only. To get access to the global automotive industry, IATF16949 certification is required.
Customer-specific requirements are very important for IATF 16949.
Some of the basic concepts include Proper management, requirements, customers, etc. There are also around 21 procedures in IATF 16949, for example, calibration, product safety, etc.
This was approved and published under ISO but was developed by IATF. Some of the IAFT 16949 members are BMW Groups, Ford Motor Company, etc.
IATF 16949 has no independent validation depending on ISO. They act as an extended version of ISO 9001 for the automotive industries. Calibration or verification activities to get approved along with all the records.
The parts of the products only fall under this, excluding the aftermarket.
They fall in a category that takes into account only specific industries. They act as a follow-up of ISO 9001 for the automotive industry.
They don’t act independently and thus should be implemented as a conjunction of ISO 9001 and as a supplement.
Main Differences Between ISO 9001 and IATF 16949
- ISO 9001 is an older constituency. IATF 16949 was published under ISO 9001 much later.
- ISO 9001 is a stand-one document. IATF is a conjunction of ISO 9001 and is not a stand-one document.
- ISO 9001 is valid for every industry, while IATF 16949 is only for automotive industries.
- ISO 9001 focuses on customer satisfaction, and IATF focuses on the specific requirements of customers.
- ISO 9001 have its constituency and structure, and IATF 16949 works under the same borrowed structure.
- ISO 9001 can work alone without IATF 16949, and the opposite is not possible.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14783363.2020.1717332
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-65675-5_8
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8906379/
- https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09544780410551269/full/html?mobileUi=0&fullSc=1&mbSc=1
Last Updated : 17 July, 2023
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
