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Automotive industry
- 3rd Edition for ISO/TS
- ISO TS 16949:2002
- VDA 6.1, 6.2 and 6.4

3rd Edition for ISO/TS

Update of the Rules for achieving IATF recognition 3rd Edition for ISO/TS 16949:2002

As an international certifcation partner TÜV Rheinland points out the highlights and main changes caused by the Rules 3rd Edition for ISO/TS 16949:2002. These changes will that take influence on all ISO/TS 16949:2002 certifications.

Effective date of the new TS2 Rules 3rd Edition is 01. Jan. 2009.

The 3rd Edition of the Rules was issued on the 01. October 2008.
The intention of the update was
- to replace the Rules 2nd Ed. And all related Rules Sanctioned Interpretations (SI) and Rules Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) issued prior to release of the Rules 3rd Ed.
- to include portions of ISO/IEC 17021:2006
- to reference the new auditor development process (ADP)
Public information related to IATF and their Oversight offices and all SI´s & FAQ´s issued after the release of the Rules 3rd Ed. you will find on www.iatfglobaloversight.org

Certification agreement with client (3.1)

The contract between the certification body and the client shall address the following items:

the client shall notify the certification body of any changes,
the client cannot refuse an IATF witness audit of the certification body,
the client cannot refuse the presence of a certification body internal witness auditor,
the client shall authorize access for the IATF representatives or their delegates,
the client shall authorize the certification body to provide the final report to the IATF, the only use of the IATF logo related to this certification scheme is as displayed on the certificate issued by the certification body. Any other use of the IATF logo separately or not is prohibited.

Notice of changes by the client (3.2)

The certification body shall have legally enforceable agreement to ensure that the client informs the certification body, without delay, of matters that may affect the capability of the management system to continue to fulfill the requirements of the ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification. These include, for example, changes relating to:

the legal status,
commercial status (e.g. joint venture, sub-contracting with other organizations),
ownership status (e.g. mergers and acquisitions),
organization and management (e.g. key managerial, decision-making or technical staff),
contact address or location,
scope of operations under the certified management system,
IATF subscribing OEM customer special status, and
major changes to the management system and processes.

Audit and certificate cycles (5.1)

The first 3 year audit cycle starts from the last day of the initial stage 2 audit.
Each subsequent audit cycle starts from the last day of the recertification audit.
Surveillance audits shall be scheduled from the last day of the initial stage 2 audit or the last day of a recertification audit in accordance with the table:

Surveillance interval	6 months	9 months	12 months
Number of audits per 3 year cycle	5	3	2
Allowable timing	-1 month / +1 month	-2 month / +1 month	-3 month / +1 month

Once established, the surveillance interval as detailed in the table above shall be maintained for the 3 year audit cycle.
The time between two recertification audits shall not exceed 3 years (-3 months, +0 months) from the last day of the previous recertification audit.
The 3 year certification cycle begins with the date of the certification decision. This date shall be the issue date of the certificate.
The certification decision shall be made within a maximum of 120 days from the last day of the stage 2 audit or recertification audit.
A new 3 year certification cycle begins with the date of the recertification decision. This date shall be the issue date of the certificate. The existing certificate is therefore superseded on this date.
The expiration date of the certificate shall be a maximum of three years minus 1 day from the certification and or recertification decision date. A certificate once issued remains valid until it expires or is superseded, cancelled or withdrawn.

Audit days determination (5.2)

To calculate audit days the entity includes the total number of employees on site, including any manufacturing extension (“Extension Site”).

Supporting activities (5.5)

Supporting functions on site or remote shall be audited at least once more during the surveillance audit cycle and the recertification audit.
The CB shall ensure clients with product design responsibility have their design function(s), on site or remote, audited at least once within each consecutive 12 month period

Establishing the audit team (5.6)

The CB shall appoint at least one auditor from the initial certification audit team to participate in all audits of the 3 year audit cycle. For the next 3 year audit cycle (surveillance and recertification), different auditors shall be used. The certification body shall request prior approval from the relevant IATF Oversight office if these requirement can not met.
As necessary technical experts can take part in a ISO/TS 16949 audit. Technical experts are persons who provide specific knowledge or expertise to the auditors of the audit team. Where technical experts are used, their time shall be additional to the audit day requirement

Audit planning – all audits (5.7)

The audit planning activity shall be undertaken prior to arrival on site and shall include as inputs to the plan a review of the following information supplied by the client:

all requirements of the client's quality management system implemented to meet the automotive requirements of those customers requiring ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification of their supplier, even when these requirements go beyond ISO/TS 16949:2002 (e.g. customer specific requirements),
the client processes taking into account their sequence and interactions, including remote support functions,
current customer and internal performance data, internal audit and management review results, and the same information pertinent to any new customers since the previous audit,
customer satisfaction and complaint summary, including verification of customer reports, scorecards and special status, and
follow up on issues from previous audits.

Certification and certificate issuance (5.13)

The certificate issue date is the date of the certification decision. The certification decision and the issuance of the certificate shall be completed within a maximum of 120 days from the last day of the stage 2 or recertification audit.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 audit (6.5 and 6.6)

No remarkable changes in the approach to conduct stage 1 & stage 2 ISO/TS 16949 audits.

Surveillance audit (6.8)

For a major nonconformity the CB shall require the client to determine root cause and implement correction within 20 days from the end of the site audit. The certification body shall review the correction and determine if the certificate shall be suspended.

Recertification (6.9)

The CB shall define time limits for correction and corrective actions to be implemented prior to the expiration of certification.

Transfer audit (7.10)

In case that an organization wants transfer registration to another CB the Rules 3-rd Ed. gives clear requirements.
The new CB shall advise the client not to cancel the contract with the existing certification body prior to the completion of all the transfer activities.
The new CB shall complete all transfer activities and a transfer audit including closure of any nonconformities and a certification decision prior to the next scheduled surveillance audit with the previous certification body or the expiration of the existing valid certificate.
The new certification body shall conduct the transfer audit, which is equivalent in audit days to a re-certification audit.

Certificate decertification process (8.0)

The beginning of the decertification process shall be the date of any of the following:
- the certification body receives a performance complaint against the client from an IATF OEM member, its relevant IATF Oversight office, or any automotive customer of the client,
- the client advises the certification body of a special status condition from an IATF subscribing OEM. Notification from the client to the certification body shall occur within ten (10) calendar days from receipt of the special status condition or otherwise specified by the customer.
- the issue date of the surveillance audit report containing nonconformities
- the client voluntarily request suspension due to significant changes of ownership, interruption of the manufacturing of product meeting the applicability for certification,
- the surveillance audit is not conducted at the established intervals
- failure to supply the required information to the certification body to undertake effective audit planning (see 5.7).
In the case of a suspension within a corporate audit scheme the suspension shall only apply to the affected site(s).

Terms and definitions (10.0)

Some samples listed under this chapter:

Aftermarket parts:
Replacement parts not procured or released by OEM for service part applications which may or may not be produced to original equipment specifications.
→ Not within the scope of TS2 certification.
Service Parts:
Replacement parts manufactured to OEM specifications which are procured or released by the OEM for service part applications including remanufactured parts.
→ Within the scope of TS2 certification.
Technical expert:
Person who provides specific knowledge or expertise to the auditors of the audit team.
100% resolved is:
- containment of the condition to prevent risk to the customer.
- documented evidence such as action plan, instructions, records to demonstrate the elimination of the non conformity condition, including assigned responsibilities or verification follow-up visit.