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ISO/TS 16949 uses the ISO 9001 standard as the basis a technical specification that includes special requirements for the automotive supply chain.
Beginning in 1994, QS 9000 was initiated by the big 3 US automakers (Daimler Chrysler, Ford and GM) in an attempt to compete with the Asian automakers superior quality. The Automotive OEM's recognized the increased value that could be derived from an independent quality system registration scheme and the efficiencies that could be realized in the supply chain by implementing a independent standard. In 1996, the success of these efforts led to a move towards the development of a set of globally accepted and unifying quality management system requirements. From this, the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) was formed to lead the development effort. The result of the IATF's effort is the ISO/TS 16949 specification. ISO/TS 16949 forms the requirements or the application of ISO 9001 for automotive production and relevant service part organizations.

The IATF also includes BMW Group Fiat, Ford Motor Company PSA Peugeot-Citroen, Renault and Volkswagen - plus national trade associations - AIAG (America), VDA (Germany), SMMT (UK), ANFIA (Italy) and FIEV (France). Japanese vehicle manufacturers association, JAMA, were also involved in the development of ISO/TS 16949:2002, opening the way for Japanese vehicle manufacturers to join IATF in the future.

For now, ISO/TS 16949 is an option for suppliers along with QS-9000 and VDA 6.1. It can be used in place of the national standards. The general trend seems to be a move away from national standards to the international ISO/TS 16949 standard, although not all national schemes have set formal transition deadlines.

ISO/TS 16949 is not a standard. It is a technical specification. You only have to apply it to sites where production or service parts are manufactured.

ISO/TS 16949:2002, together with ISO 9001:2000, specifies the quality system requirements for the design/development, production, installation and servicing of automotive related products.