Only organizations that manufacture and, where applicable, design and develop automotive products and vehicles are eligible for IATF 16949 certification.
Eligible when:
The organization manufacturers a “part” for an automotive vehicle
The organization makes a “processed material” that goes into an automotive vehicle
Ineligible when:
The organization does not manufacture a “part” or “processed material”. Example: Organization that has a sales contract to manufacture an automotive part or a processed material, but the organization outsources the manufacturing to another company (formerly known as Fabless)
The organization does not meet the definition of manufacturing. Example: An organization that only has design, testing, warehousing, etc.
The organization makes a “part” or “processed material” for a vehicle that does NOT meet the definition of an automotive vehicle. Example: An organization that manufactures parts for off-highway vehicles.
Automotive vehicles shall be understood as homologated vehicles that are intended to be driven on public roads.
“Intended to be driven” = meant to be or the primary purpose of the vehicle
“Homologated vehicles” = the process of certifying that a vehicle complies with the necessary technical and legal requirements to be deemed roadworthy and safe for public use. These requirements encompass a wide range of aspects, including safety features, emissions, performance, and construction standards
Organizations manufacturing parts or processed materials for the following types of vehicles are eligible for IATF 16949 certification if they are homologated:
✓ Cars, Trucks, Buses, Heavy Trucks, Motorcycles, Recreational vehicles (e.g., campers), and certain specialty vehicles (e.g., police car, ambulance, fire truck, cash carry car, taxi, school bus), even if not manufactured by the OEMs.
✓ In certain countries, this might include Trailers, Scooters, auto Rickshaws, etc.
⮾ If it cannot be driven on a public road (i.e., not homologated, no license plate), then organizations manufacturing parts or processed materials are NOT eligible for IATF 16949 certification
A manufacturing process may include multiple techniques to make or fabricate (transform) an automotive product. This includes processes such as, but not limited to:
· Assembly, casting, extrusion, heat treatment, machining, molding, plating, painting, soldering, etc.
✓ Organizations that carry out these types of processes for automotive customers are eligible for IATF 16949 certification
⮾ Organizations that only provide services such as sorting, kitting, testing, inspection, packaging, and warehousing, for example, are not eligible for IATF 16949 certification
Automotive products shall be understood as the following:
a) Parts (including those with embedded software) and processed materials which are manufactured to an automotive customer’s specifications and integrated into the automotive vehicle during its manufacture (“Production parts” or “Production materials”).
b) Parts manufactured to OEM specifications that are procured or released by the OEM and integrated into the automotive vehicle after its manufacturer and before or after delivery to the final customer (“Accessory Parts”).
c) Replacement parts and materials, including remanufactured parts.