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ESI Issued IATF 16949:2016 Certification for Automotive Manufacturing

Tag Archive: IATF

  1. ESI Issued IATF 16949:2016 Certification for Automotive Manufacturing

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    The International Automotive Task Force recently certified Engineering Specialties, Inc. with IATF 16949:2016, an achievement that establishes the company as an automotive leader within the manufacturing industry.

    iatf 16949

    The standards set forth in IATF 16949 help quality engineers and procurement managers control risk throughout the supply chain and maintain flexibility in dynamic environments. It is the most trusted international manufacturing quality standard for the automotive industry.

    Manufacturers with IATF 16949 certification are recognized for their ability to meet the demands of automotive manufacturing, promising superior process integration, customer confidence, and product performance.

    One of New England’s leading metal stamping and production machining specialists, ESI leverages full-service automated assembly and visual inspection technology to ensure the highest quality.

    “Safety is critical in the automotive industry, which is one of the major markets we serve,” said ESI President Ron Delfini. “Our team of quality engineers worked hard to achieve this certification quickly so that our customers could be sure to receive the highest quality possible.”

    ESI seamlessly integrates its quality management solutions into high-speed, large volume production. Using high definition cameras and cutting-edge software, engineers inspect parts for a dozen or more pre-programmed dimensions, standards, and specifications. The process allows no margin for error, and takes only milliseconds.

    Committed to precision, ESI designs and builds parts to exact specifications without sacrificing safety or quality. The manufacturer routinely serves clients in the aerospace, lighting, military, and medical industries in addition to automotive specialties, managing orders of over 150 million pieces per year.

    ESI logs stamping tolerances as tight as +/- .001 in (.025 mm), with machining tolerances of .0002 in (.005 mm). The company has maintained a strong presence in automotive work for nearly 30 years, with projects including tether anchors, piston assemblies, airbag components, steering wheel assemblies, cable assemblies, grounding straps, and horn switches.

    In addition to the new certification, ESI will continue to produce safety-critical components for automotive customers according to its stringent in-house quality criteria, the ESI Standard. Lean manufacturing, fully calibrated inspection equipment, Six Sigma Black Belt Training, a disciplined PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), a ten-step FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), and an in-house quality lab all support each and every aspect of ESI’s operations.

    Click on the button below to download ESI’s IATF 16949:2016 Certification and to learn more about the company’s high performance quality control.

    Download: IATF 16949:2016 Certificate

  2. ISO vs. IATF 16949: What Changed with the New ISO/TS Requirements?

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    ISO/TS 16949, the automotive industry’s most widely applied international standard for quality, will be replaced by IATF 16949.

    IATF-ISO-standards-automotive

    The new certification, developed by Automotive Industry Action Group members, changes the requirements of quality management systems for all automotive OEMs and suppliers in the industry.

    It provides for an interdisciplinary approach focused on risk management, customer satisfaction, leadership, and process.

    Benefits of Meeting Standards: Risk Management and Adaptability

    IATF 16949 is aimed to help quality engineers and procurement managers control risk throughout the supply chain and maintain flexibility in dynamic environments, providing you and your staff with confidence in your product. It is also designed for companies to better handle change, thereby avoiding unexpected situations and even unplanned costs.

    What’s Changing?

    automotive quality control

    More documentation. One of the most important changes from ISO to IATF is the requirement of more documentation and documented evidence, including but not limited to:

    • – Ensuring that suppliers conform to statutory and regulatory requirements while continuing to implement and improve their quality management systems.
    • – Continuous review of engineering standards and specification changes across product lines.
    • – Documentation of your supplier selection process to assess risks and maintain product quality conforming to customer specifications.
    • – Standardization of work instructions from product verification at start up to in-process checks and shutdown verification.
    • – Documented risk assessment, analysis and mitigation at all levels of the organization. (throughout the organization at all levels of production).

    Inclusion of customer-specific requirements. While ISO/TS 16949 focused on the organization’s requirements, IATF 16949 will include customer specifications and requirements in their audit to determine that the company is meeting them.

    Accountability and safety. The quality management system now mandates that manufacturers implement Corporate Responsibility policies, including those for anti-bribery, codes of conduct, and ethics escalation policies.

    Risk awareness and analysis. Risk management should be incorporated throughout multiple levels of business systems, including CAPA and FMEA. All employees must be made aware of the risks that non-conformity to these standards has on the brand and its customers.

    Recommendations to Prepare for Change

    Your organization should develop a step-by-step plan to handle this transition.

    1. Thoroughly review your own processes, including the context of your organization, (operation), all interested parties and expectations, and the scope of your current quality management system.
    2. Find ways to demonstrate leadership, look at risks and opportunities from a fresh perspective, and re-contextualize the goals of your QMS within the mission and strategic direction of the
    3. Reconsider your current documentation processes, refine your design and development strategies, and re-evaluate QMS in this new context. Be realistic about the scale of these efforts.
    4. Create a timetable with expectations of how long each step of the process will take.

    Changes to meet new IATF requirements are already underway at ESI. If you have any questions about the process or the new standards, feel free to reach out — our Quality Control team is happy to help.

    ESI is IATF Certified

    Learn more about how ESI applies quality standards to automotive parts on our automotive industry page, or download our IATF 16949:2016 certificate for your records.

    Download Certificate

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