OEM approval
IATF 16949 is a condition for many supply programmes.
How we help: IATF 16949 with your customers' specific requirements built in.
Industry
Automotive
OEMs expect suppliers to prove quality, launch discipline and supply continuity. We build IATF 16949 systems with the core tools and customer-specific requirements your customers check, and add environment, safety and energy where they ask.
Challenges we solve
Pressures on automotive suppliers
Customer scorecards, launch deadlines and sustainability requirements all flow down the supply chain.
Launch discipline
New programmes, PPAP deadlines and change control.
How we help: APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC and MSA embedded in product and process development.
Customer audits
Repeated second-party audits and scorecards.
How we help: One certified system with evidence organised for customer reviews.
Sustainability demands
OEMs cascading environmental and carbon requirements.
How we help: ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, with greenhouse gas data where customers ask.
Workplace safety
Presses, robots and chemical processes.
How we help: ISO 45001 integrated with your IATF system.
Information security
Customer data, IP and connected production.
How we help: ISO/IEC 27001 for suppliers handling sensitive customer data.
Recommended standards
Standards for automotive suppliers
Core standards first, then the additions your customers, regulators or risks call for. Most run as one integrated management system.
Regulatory context
Requirements that shape your system
Management systems help you meet these obligations and show evidence of control. They do not replace the obligations themselves.
Customer-specific requirements
Each OEM's CSRs, applied on top of IATF 16949.
Vehicle cybersecurity
UNECE regulations on cybersecurity and software updates, flowing to suppliers of connected components.
Product safety and recalls
Product safety and recall obligations in the markets you supply.
Environmental requirements
Substance restrictions and end-of-life rules for vehicle components.
Which requirements apply depends on your jurisdiction and activities. We map your system to the ones that apply to you.
How we work with automotive suppliers
One partner, gap to certificate
01
Consultancy
Gap assessment, implementation and integrated systems built around how automotive suppliers operations really work.
02Certification support
Certification body selection, mock audits and Stage 1 and Stage 2 support.
03Training Academy
Awareness to CQI/IRCA Lead Auditor, in-house or public.
04Ongoing partnership
Outsourced internal audit, management review and 2026 transitions.
Experience
Automotive work we have delivered
Chemicals & materials · Brazil
Dow
IATF 16949:2016 · 2017 · 4 months
1stAttempt
0NCs
4Months
The challenge
An automotive quality system for glass and plastic bonding systems at Pindamonhangaba, one of three Dow systems in three regulatory contexts.
What AEC did
IATF 16949 system for the site's bonding systems (product design excluded), alongside ISO/IEC 27001 in Midland and ISO 9001 for Dow Consumer Solutions.
All three certified at first attempt, no nonconformities. A relationship since 2017, across two continents.
Training Academy
View the Training Academy
Training for automotive suppliers teams
CQI/IRCA Approved Training Partner. Awareness, Implementer, Internal Auditor and Lead Auditor courses, in-house, public, virtual or hybrid.
Popular courses for this sector: IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001.
Questions
Automotive FAQ
Does AEC issue the certificates?
No. Certificates are issued by independent certification bodies accredited by UKAS, DAkkS or an equivalent national accreditation body, or by the scheme-specific bodies some standards require. AEC prepares your organisation for those audits.
Who can certify IATF 16949?
Only certification bodies recognised by the International Automotive Task Force, following the IATF Rules.
Is a new edition of IATF 16949 coming?
A revision is expected to follow ISO 9001:2026. IATF 16949:2016 remains the requirement until a new edition and its transition rules are published.
Plan your IATF 16949 programme
Tell us your products, customers and sites. We reply with a proposal covering core tools, implementation and certification support.
Certification decisions are made by independent, accredited certification bodies. AEC prepares organisations for certification and does not guarantee certification outcomes.