Automotive Process Audits

Preparations and Tools

D. H. Stamatis

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9780367759391
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000382341
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Automobile Industry
• Index: Business

With a detailed discussion on the preparation and tools needed for an automotive process audit, this book addresses the fundamental issues and concerns by focusing on two objectives: explaining the methods and tools used in the process for the organization, and provide a reference or manual for dealing with documenting quality issues.

This book addresses the fundamental issues and concerns for a successful automotive process audit and details specifically how to prepare for it. It presents a complete assessment of what an organization must do to earn certification in ISO standards, industry standards, and customer-specific requirements. It also focuses on the efficiency of resources within an organization so that an audit can be successful and describes the methodologies to optimize the process by knowing what to do, what to say, and how to prove it. A road map is offered for the "process audit" and the "layered audit," and defines a clear distinction between the preparation details for each.

This book is intended for those that conduct audits, those who are interested in auditing, and those who are being audited. It specifically addresses how to prepare for an automotive process audit for readers who are involved in quality, manufacturing, and operations management, and those who work with suppliers.

1 Introduction to International Quality Standards

Overview

ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 164 national standards bodies. Its origin began in 1926 as the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA). This organization focused heavily on mechanical engineering. It was disbanded in 1942 during the Second World War but was re-organized in October 1946 with delegates from 25 countries under the name of United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) with a proposal to form a new global standards body. The new organization officially began operations in February 1947, having the central secretariat at Geneva, Switzerland. The main roles and responsibilities of ISO are just to draft and publish standards (https://www.iso.org/standards.html. Retrieved on January 10, 2020).

As useful as the ISO standards are, there is a confusion about its name. Contrary to public usage and knowledge, ISO IS NOT an acronym. Rather, it is the Greek word ίσος, meaning “equal.” This was selected purposely since if they had chosen the name of the country, there would have been different acronyms as the words would have been different. For example, the name of the organization in French is Organisation internationale de normalisation and, in Russian, Международная организация по стандартизации (Mezhdunarodnaya organizatsiya po standartizatsii). One can appreciate the ISO selection as the official name for its clarity, simplicity, and ease of usage worldwide. In the words of the ISO organization, we read the explanation thusly: “Because ‘International Organization for Standardization’ would have different acronyms in different languages (IOS in English, OIN in French), our founders decided to give it the short form ISO. ISO is derived from the Greek isos, meaning equal. Whatever the country, whatever the language, the short form of our name is always ISO.” As such both the name ISO and the ISO logo are registered trademarks, and their use is restricted (about us: https://www.iso.org/standards.html. Retrieved on January 10, 2020).

Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market-relevant international standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

International standards make things work. They give world-class specifications for products, services, and systems, to ensure quality, safety, and efficiency. They are instrumental in facilitating international trade through standardization. As of July 2019, the ISO has published 22,933 standards and related documents, covering almost every industry, from technology, to food safety, to agriculture and healthcare. ISO international standards impact everyone, everywhere. Even though the standards have been translated in many languages, there are three official languages: English (with Oxford spelling), French, and Russian (https://www.iso.org/standards.html. Retrieved on January 10, 2020).

The most popular of the standards are the 9000 (quality), 14000 (environmental), and 45000 (occupational, health, and safety) series. All of them are reviewed every 5 years and revised as necessary. All of them are audited for conformance and/or compliance depending on the standard. Other standards also cover day-to-day activities that affect us all, including cinematography, shoes sizes, thermal insulation, and textiles.

The breakdown of the count of ISOs produced thus far are

• International Standard = 20,038
• Technical Report = 849
• Technical Specifications = 559
• Guide = 40
• Publicly Available Specifications = 28
• International Standardized Profile = 13
• International Workshop Agreement = 11
• Technology Trends Assessment = 5
• Recommendation = 1.

In this book, we will focus only on the three major ISO standards that deal with quality primarily in the automotive industry. We believe that these standards, when used appropriately, help the organization that uses them in creating products and services that are safe, reliable, and of good quality. The standards help businesses increase productivity while minimizing errors and waste. By enabling products from different markets to be directly compared, they facilitate companies in entering new markets and assist in the development of global trade on a fair basis. The standards also serve to safeguard consumers and the end-users of products and services, ensuring that certified products conform to the minimum standards set internationally (https://www.iso.org/standards.html. Retrieved on January 10, 2020).

When one discusses quality in any form, invariably the topic will be something like: But what standards are being followed? Or what quality management standards (QMS) the organization operates under?

To answer these fundamental questions, let us examine them in a very cursory form. First, the issue of QMS and then the practical meaning of “quality standards” in very general terms. So, a quality management standard establishes a skeleton for how an organization manages its key activities in a given enterprise. This, of course, is an agreement within the organization that provides the “way” of doing something, either making a product, managing a process, or delivering a service. On the other hand, a quality standard is a detail document detailing the requirements, specifications, guidelines, and characteristics that products, services, and processes should consistently meet in order to ensure specific characteristics such as

• Their quality matches expectations.
• They are fit for purpose.
• They meet the needs of their customers and ultimate users.
• Some form of standards is an essential element of any QMS.

Therefore, one may come to a conclusion that the purpose of quality management standards is simply a way for businesses to satisfy their customers’ quality requirements and for a range of other reasons, such as

• Ensuring safety and reliability of their products and services
• Complying with regulations, often at a lower cost
• Defining and controlling internal processes
• Meeting environmental objectives
• Meeting customer’s needs and expectations.

When an organization is “truly” committed to following quality management standards, they are often more likely to

• Increase their profits
• Reduce losses or costs across the business (through less rejects and rework)
• Improve their competitiveness
• Gain market access across the world
• Increase consumer loyalty (due to consistent quality).

The international standards are one way to demonstrate commitment to quality and validate that quality with audits to a given organization. To be sure, ALL international standards fall under the control of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is based in Zurich, Switzerland. In this book, we will address ONLY some of the common ones that deal with quality, environment, occupational hazards and safety as well as the automotive standard known as the IATF 16949 and three customer requirements from Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler Automotive.

ISO 9001

GENERAL Comments

This standard is considered to be the basic generic quality standard for ALL organizations that are interested in quality. Over the years, it has been revised several times, and the current one is the ISO 9000:2015 series which provides the structure for the entire standard. However, the certifiable standard is the ISO 9001:2015 which covers the seven specific principles of any QMS. They are

1. Customer focus: The primary focus of quality management is to meet customer requirements and to strive to exceed customer expectations.
2. Leadership: Leaders at all levels establish unity of purpose and direction and create conditions in which people are engaged in achieving the quality objectives of the organization.
3. Engagement of people: It is essential for the organization that all people are competent, empowered, and engaged in delivering value. Competent, empowered, and engaged people throughout the organization enhance its capability to create value.
4. Process approach: Consistent and predictable results are achieved more effectively and efficiently when activities are understood and managed as interrelated processes that function as a coherent system.
5. Improvement: Successful organizations have an ongoing focus on improvement.
6. Evidence-based decision-making: Decisions based on the analysis and evaluation of data and information are more likely to produce desired results.
7. Relationship management: For sustained success, organizations manage their relationships with interested parties, such as suppliers.

The key changes from previous revisions to the new ISO 9001:2015 which must be addressed in any audit dealing with this standard are as follows:

1. There is no requirement for a quality manual (however, highly recommended).
2. Its emphasis on organizational context and risk-based thinking is of paramount importance.
3. There is no requirement for the management representative. Now the leadership clause is more inclusive for the top management.
4. The standard does not include a specific clause for “Preventive Actions.” Now preventive actions are sprinkled in the entire standard.
5. The terms “document” and “records” have been replaced with the term “documented information.” Documented procedure in ISO 9001:2008 has been replaced by maintained documented information, and documented record in ISO 9001:2008 has been replaced by retained documented informat...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Author
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Introduction to International Quality Standards
• Chapter 2 Industrial Standards/Requirements
• Chapter 3 Customer Specific
• Chapter 4 Documentation
• Chapter 5 Checklists
• References