Auditing Core Tools & Customer-Specific Requirements

The Automotive Quality Core Tools are the building blocks of an effective quality management system. They include Advanced Product Quality Planning & Control Plan (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Measurement System Analysis (MSA).

The IATF 16949 standard identifies a few areas where customer-specific requirements (CSRs) must be incorporated into the company’s quality system. For instance, section 4.3 tells us that CSRs must be evaluated and included in the scope of the QMS. Furthermore, section 9.2.2.2 states that the organization must integrate the CSRs into the internal audit process and sample those CSRs during the internal audit. To tie all this together, IATF Rules 5th edition section 5.8j requires your certification body auditor to review the process your organization uses to gather, communicate, and implement CSRs at every audit. 

QSG will assess compliance to the IATF 16949 requirements and evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation.