TS 16949

What is TS 16949? A Quality Assurance Model that creates common standards worldwide Not limited to Production – Applies to all areas of the business Based On Eight Quality Management Principles

Quality Management Principles Customer focus Leadership Mutually beneficial supplier relationship Involvement of people Based on eight quality management principles Factual approach to decision making Process approach System approach to Management Continual improvement

Customer Focus Understand current and future customer needs Meet and exceed customer requirements and expectations Measure customer satisfaction and act on results Benefits: Fast response to sales opportunities Enhanced customer satisfaction Customer loyalty leading to repeat business We depend on our customers!

Leadership Establish a clear vision for the company Set challenging goals and targets Empower people to act with responsibility and accountability Inspire, encourage, and recognize people’s contributions Benefits: Motivates employees towards the company’s goals Minimized miscommunication within the company

Involvement of People Understand the importance of your contribution Accept ownership of problems and take responsibility for solving them Openly discuss problems or issues Identify opportunities for improvement Benefits: Motivated and committed people Innovation and creativity Continual improvement People are our most important resource!

Process Approach Define the activities necessary for the required result Establish clear responsibility for activities Focus on factors that will improve key activities Benefits: Lower costs and shorter cycle times Improved, consistent results Focused improvement opportunities When activities and resources are managed as a process, the organization is more efficient

System Approach to Management Understand how processes relate to each other Determine most efficient structure for the organization Target how specific activities should operate Benefits: Ability to focus effort on the key processes Provide confidence of interested parties about the effectiveness of the company Identify, understand, and manage interrelated processes as a system

Continual Improvement Use a consistent company wide approach to continual improvement Establish goals and measurements of continual improvement Recognize improvements Benefits: Improved performance Performance activities aligned with company goals Flexibility to react quickly to opportunities Continual Improvement should be a permanent goal of the company.

Factual Approach to Decision Making Make data and information accurate and available Analyze data using appropriate methods Make decisions based on factual analysis Benefits: Informed decisions Ability to see effectiveness of past decisions Ability to review, challenge, and change opinions and decisions Based on analysis of data and information.

Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships Establish relationships that benefit supplier and customer Pool expertise and resources Clear and open communication Establish joint development and improvement activities Benefits: Creates value for both parties Allows quick joint response to changing needs Optimizes costs and resources What’s good for our supplier is good for us.

Process Approach to Continual Improvement Plan – Decide what the problem is and think of possible solutions Do – Try the solutions on a small scale and collect data on the results Check – Use the data to see if the solution worked as you planned Act – If the solution worked, use it on a larger scale. If it did not work, go back to the planning stage Plan – Start the cycle again, either with the same problem or a new one. Goals Requirements Implement Changes Make Changes or Standardize Measure and Observe Results

What Is Your Role? Every employee plays an important part. To help assure compliance to TS 16949 you may be asked to: Help decide where written procedures or work instructions are needed. Help write procedures and work instructions Follow the quality management system documentation Maintain complete and accurate records.

What Is Your Role? Educate others to use the TS16949 Quality Management System correctly Suggest ideas for improvement Participate in Internal Audits and answer questions honestly Understand the Quality Policy, related objectives, and how you contribute to them.

Things to Remember When filling out a form, do not leave any blanks. Know where your procedures are – don’t move them from their location. Work instructions need to be in the work area. Always follow your work instructions. If there are any that you think are not correct, contact your supervisor immediately!

Audits There are three types of audits: Registration Audit - This was our first external audit, where our registrar decided we should be TS 16949 Certified. Surveillance Audit – This is an external audit that occurs yearly, where our registrar decides if we should keep our certificate. Our next surveillance audit will be in November. Internal Audit – Internal audits occur continuously in various areas of the plant, so we can make sure we’re doing everything correctly and find places to improve!

Things an Auditor May Ask You What are your job responsibilities? How were you trained to do your job? Are there records of this? Where are they kept? Are there procedures that tell you how to do your job? If not, why? If so, where are they? Who controls these procedures? How do you know they are the current version? What do you do if you think a part or product is no good?

Things an Auditor May Ask You How do you know if your gages are properly calibrated? How is product identified when it enters your work area? How is it identified when it exits? How do you know if product has passed the required inspection or testing? What is the company Quality Policy? How does it relate to your job? What forms or records do you use to do your job? Who is responsible for retaining them, and where are they kept?

Things to Do During an Audit Be polite, professional and cooperative Always tell the Truth. Don’t try to hide something. Auditors are not trying to test your memory. If you have to look something up in your documentation, that’s OK. Answer with the simplest answer you can think of. If you can answer with a Yes or No, that’s all you should do. Answer questions accurately (No Wild Guesses), factually (No Personal Opinions), and to the best of your knowledge Admit when you do not understand the question. Never answer a question you do not understand! Be honest if you do not know the answer to a question (You may volunteer to research the question and get back with an answer by a designated time)

Things NOT to Do During an Audit Do NOT try to hide from the auditor. All the auditor wants is to ask you about your job. Do NOT try to answer a question for another person. If the question is not about the job you are doing, you may tell the auditor who they should ask. Do NOT answer questions you don’t know the answer to. Get the person who knows the answer Do NOT Argue with the auditor Avoid volunteering information Don’t try to explain things. The auditor will ask questions to help him/her understand. Your job is to only answer questions asked. Do not tell stories or speculate what ‘could’ happen.

What You Need To Know What is TS 16949? What is our quality policy? What is defined as a “Quality Product” for your job? How does your work impact the quality of our products? What training have you had? What documentation do you use? What training have you had – if you do now know, ask your supervisor now! Don’t wait until the audit! What documentation do you use – You must know this. You should have been told this when you were trained to do the job. If you are not sure which documentation applies to you, ask your supervisor now!

Our Quality Policy “Blah blah blah blah.” Put this in your own words – what does it mean to YOU?

Our Quality Objectives 100% On-Time Delivery Zero Defects Continual Improvement in Products and Processes