It is important to note that the general trend is a move away from the national standard schemes to the international ISO/TS 16949:2002, but so far finalized transition dates have not been set for all of them.

However, the Big 3 in the United States DamilerChrysler, General Motors, and Ford have already decided to only accept certification of your quality system to the international ISO/TS 16949. Deadlines have already been set for QS-9000 phase out and when it will no longer be accepted.

ISO/TS 16949 emerging as the most common requirement
QS-9000, Third edition, will continue to remain a valid set of quality system requirements to which one can become certified beyond December 15, 2003. In fact, this set of requirements is, at least at the present time, set to remain valid through December 14, 2006.

This provides organizations that must be approved a viable option to adopting ISO 9001:2000 or ISO/TS 16949, Second Edition, at the present time. However, it is clear that a hard and fast date for the expiry of QS-9000, Third Edition, has been established. Meaning that it is not a question of whether suppliers will have to move to TS certification, but rather when you have to make the move.

ISO 9001 requirements
Prior or parallel certification of your Quality Management System to ISO 9001 is a prerequisite for ISO/TS 16949 and QS-9000. The automotive standards certificate cannot be issued without the organization implementing an ISO 9001 management system. Being certified to ISO/TS 16949:2002 implies compliance to ISO 9001.

Where do I go from here?
To get on the road to certification, you should begin by reading about the standards:

• The international ISO/TS 16949 standard.
  
  
• The American QS-9000 standard.