engineering, AUTOSAR - Automotive Industries

innovation
A uniform quality standard is imperative for automotive
suppliers with manufacturing locations across a vast geographical
area. ISO (the International Organization for Standardization)
has developed more than 700 standards for the
automotive sector.
ISO is the publisher of the technical specification ISO/TS 16949,
which has become the global benchmark for quality management
by automotive suppliers of production and aftermarket parts. Like
the earlier editions, the revised version of ISO/TS 16949:2009
develops a quality management system that emphasizes defect
prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply
chain. It also includes detailed, sector-specific requirements
for employee competence, awareness and training, design
and development, production and service provision, control of
monitoring and measuring devices, and measurement,
analysis and improvement.
ISO was formed in 1947 as a developer of
voluntary International Standards and is based
in Geneva, Switzerland. The popularity of ISO
Rob Steele, ISO
Secretary-General
standards is partly due to its consideration of
emerging trends and needs in sectors.
Automotive Industries spoke to Rob Steele,
ISO Secretary-General.
AI: Why is ISO/TS 16949 the most widely used quality
specification by automotive suppliers?
steele: Before ISO/TS 16949 was developed, multiple
national automotive quality standards were in use, in addition to
the quality specifications required by the major manufacturers.
The supplier could also have customers outside the sector who
require ISO 9001 certified suppliers, creating different standards
or even different specifications for the same base component of
product. Multiple standards also meant multiple audits for supplier
organizations, all of which created redundancy and inefficiency for
vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers.
The solution to the problem was to replace the multiplicity of
standards, and the inconvenience and inefficiency of multiple
audits, by harmonizing quality requirements on ISO 9001 model
which, with sector-specific additions, became ISO/TS 16949.
AI: Tell us about how ISO works with the automotive industry
and national trade bodies to develop ISO/TS 16949.
steele: The technical committees that develop ISO standards
comprise national delegations of industry experts, regulators,
consumer representatives, scientific experts and other stakeholders.
standards a
prerequisite for the
automotive supply chain By: James Hilton
ISO/TC 176 is made up of representatives appointed by 81 ISO
national members and a further 25 ISO member countries who
observe the work.
TC 176’s partner for ISO/TS 16949 is the International
Automotive Task Force (IATF), which brings to the table a strong
consensus on the needs of the sector from manufacturers and
national trade bodies.
AI: What are some of the most important standards
created for this sector?
steele: The focus of this work is ISO/TC 22 which has so far
developed 724 standards. These standards address basics such
as wheels, braking systems and road holding ability, as well as
crash protection, child restraint systems and ergonomics. Many
aim to improve compatibility, interchangeability and safety, or to
provide the requirements for harmonized test procedures
for evaluating performance.
AI: What are some of the upcoming ISO
standards for the automotive industry?
What areas in the industry are prioritized
in terms of creating standards?
steele: Functional safety will be covered
by ISO 26262 which will provide global
guidelines for the safe design of electronic/
electrical systems. ISO 15007, which
deals with the measurement of driver visual
behavior, is now being updated to take
account of new technologies, particularly eye
trackers. The already published three-part ISO/
TS 22239 on child seat presence and orientation
detection systems is especially important.
ISO 6469 will ensure the safe handling of battery electric
vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, covering safety from electric
hazards, on-board rechargeable energy store systems, and protection
against failures. Also under development is ISO 12405, which
provides test specifications for lithium-Ion traction battery systems.
ISO 15118 focuses on the interface between electric vehicles and the
grid, including communication links and protocols. AI
The ISO Central Secretariat in Geneva.
Automotive Industries 41