German safety and quality expert, TÜV SÜD has announced that it will conduct transition and initial audits for automotive manufacturers for compliance with IATF 16949, a new Global Industry Standard. IATF 16949 is aligned with, and refers to the most recent version of ISO’s quality management systems standard, ISO 9001:2015. IATF 16949:2016 defines the requirements of a quality management system; it will lend organisations greater flexibility to respond to regulatory and technical advances unique to the automotive industry. Claimed to play an essential role in ensuring quality requirements, and reducing the risk of product and service failure for automotive production, service and accessory parts organisations, IATF 16949 certification, claim TUV SUD sources, is mandatory for organisations that wish to manufacture parts for the automotive industry. As an IATF-recognised certification body, TÜV SÜD will conduct transition for organisations currently certified to ISO/TS 16949. IATF 16949 is aimed to facilitate a globally harmonised quality management system requirement and combines all previous and published national automotive quality standards such as QS-9000, VDA 6.1, EAQF 94 and AVSQ.