SAF-Holland announced that its North American facilities aligned to its Powered Vehicle Systems Business Unit have been recommended for ISO/TS16949 certification by Det Norske Veritas Certification Inc. (DNV). ISO/TS16949 is recognized globally as the quality automotive standard, superseding previous European and QS-9000 standards.
“ISO/TS 16949 certification satisfies the growing need by global vehicle manufacturers for a unified certification standard,” says Sam Martin, chief operating officer for SAF-Holland. “The formal recommendation for our Powered Vehicle Systems facilities competitively positions us to serve those customers that are now demanding ISO/TS16949 certification.”
ISO/TS16949 is a technical specification developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), an association of the major North American and European automotive manufacturers, to harmonize the requirements of the members’ automotive quality standards, including QS-9000 (North America), VDA 6.1(Germany) AVSQ (Italy) and EAQF (France).
John Wieringa, vice president of quality and environmental systems for the Powered Vehicle Systems Business Unit of SAF-Holland, says the certification process, which has been in process over the past 18 months, was a cross-functional effort involving SAF-Holland associates and various vendors throughout North America. “The team was extremely dedicated in preparing for the final certification audit,” Wieringa says. “Their hard work and focus was a critical factor in achieving this important step in the ISO/TS 16949 certification process.”
SAF-Holland says the North America facilities recommended for approval are all Powered Vehicle System facilities in the United States, including facilities in Michigan (2), Texas (1) and North Carolina (1); and the Powered facility in Ontario, Canada (1 of 2). SAF-Holland says its operations in Singen, Germany and Brazil already have attained ISO/TS 16949 certification.
