Success story: Implementation of a QM system according to IATF 16949 for automotive supplier VOSS

Challenge: Upcoming IATF 16949 certification

A request from VOSS Automotive took our consultants to Bulgaria, where the international automotive supplier had only just opened its new location this year. VOSS called on our quality management consulting services on account of its upcoming IATF 16949 certification. “A case that shows that we can successfully provide the best consulting services not only in the field of risk management and FMEA, but also in the field of QM,” says Managing Director Winfried Dietz. The consulting services in Bulgaria were provided by Christian Zott, who we have been working together with in QM and project management for several years now. The joint objective: To offer VOSS Bulgaria short-term technical support in setting up a quality management system according to IATF 16949 and OEM customer specifications. “The central issue here was the most effective adaptation possible of a quality management system to customer specifications and the creation of a high degree of quality awareness on site,” explains Zott. “A particularly practical quality management system is becoming increasingly important globally, to meet the increasing pressure from customers for measurable quality performance and to respond to liability risks in the supply chain.”

Short learning curve, audit passed

The biggest challenge in the project in Bulgaria was the coordination of established QM methods at VOSS and the transposition of these to a new location with new employees. With many years’ QM experience and training know-how, this was successfully mastered: The methods were coordinated within a very short time by the competent consultants and all requirements of IATF 16949 were met. The audit was smoothly passed with marginal minor deviations and no objections to the QM system – an excellent result from the customer’s point of view, says Zott, who emphasizes that “the fantastic certification result in practice predominately means greater trust in the customer-supplier relationship, as well as extremely positive feedback to the employees responsible for ensuring delivery performance”. This project success was above all down to the excellent work of the project management team on site, the good cooperation between all the partners involved, and the enthusiasm and commitment of the Bulgarian workforce.