How does IATF 16949 add value to ISO 9001? An empirical study

Abstract

This article analyses the added value of IATF 16949 – a standard for quality management in the automotive sector – with respect to ISO 9001, the most popular standard for quality management worldwide. An exploratory qualitative study was carried out based on a multiple case study. Eight companies operating at different levels of the Spanish automotive sector supply chain were analysed and 27 interviews were conducted – 17 with managers of these companies and 10 with auditors and consultants. Multiple internal and external sources of documentation were also analysed. The findings show that IATF 16949 adds value to a more flexible ISO 9001 in five main areas: market, customer service in the supply chain, operational performance, staff, and technology. Overall, IATF 16949 is seen as a ‘license to operate’ for automotive sector suppliers, for whom ISO 9001 seems to have lost its signalling value. This study sheds light on the raison d'être of sectoral standards for QMSs such as IATF 16949 and contributes to the literature on the neo-institutional approach to QMSs and explains some of the main weaknesses of ISO 9001.

Keywords:

• ISO 9001
• IATF 16949
• meta-standards
• Quality Management Systems
• automotive sector

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to the Editor and Reviewers of TQM&BE for their assistance. Their criticisms and suggestions helped us to substantially improve and develop the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This article is a result of the Research Group funded by the Basque Autonomous Government (Grupos de Investigación del Sistema Universitario Vasco; GIC 15/176).