Certification According to VDA 6.1
Quality Management In The Automotive Industry
Whether you are a manufacturer of vehicle parts or a supplier of raw materials and accessories - automotive manufacturers demand certification of the quality of your products along the entire supply chain. With the VDA 6.1 standard established by the German Automotive Industry Association (VDA), you are also investing in reliable quality management. And initiating a continuous improvement process. Ask us! We can support you at every stage of the certification process.
Benefits at a Glance
VDA 6.1 certification from TÜV Rheinland enables you to:
- Optimize the quality of your products and processes
- Achieve recognition of your company and its products in the German automotive industry
- Give your customers peace of mind
- Earmark resources freed up for other quality initiatives
- Provide reliable documentation of your company’s high quality and performance
Six Steps To Greater Quality
Our skilled and experienced experts analyze and evaluate your processes and systems. This involves six steps.
1. Pre-audit (optional)
The auditors conduct a preliminary audit, which also includes a site visit, to determine whether any requirements associated with this standard have already been implemented in your company and, if so, which ones.
2. Document Review
The audit team determines the extent to which the documentation for your quality management system already meets the VDA requirements.
3. Certification Audit
You demonstrate the practical application of your quality management system, and our auditors test its effectiveness.
4. Issue of Certificate
Once all criteria have been met, your company is awarded the certificate, demonstrating the integrity of your quality management system and its compliance with the VDA.
5. Surveillance Audits
Our annual surveillance audits help you continuously optimize your processes.
6. Certification Renewal
The revision audit is carried out after three years and helps you to implement continuous improvement processes. This demonstrates to partners and customers your long-term commitment to quality.
Recognition In Europe
VDA 6.1 is the standard for the German automotive industry, and is also recognized by the EAQF in France and the AVSQ in Italy. It is currently the only standard for manufacturing companies that cannot be certified in compliance with ISO TS 16949:2002.
How Time-Consuming Is Certification?
As a rule of thumb: the larger the company (wide range of products, various different sites, and so on), the more complex the certification process. Availability of previously drawn up quality management systems and documentation to go with it can significantly reduce the time and effort needed for appraisal.
Furthermore…
A prerequisite for VDA 6.1 certification is implementation of a quality management system according to ISO 9001:2000. As your “one-stop” partner, we will support you in all the relevant areas. Just ask our experts.
Disclaimer: At TÜV Rheinland, the neutrality, objectivity, independency and impartiality of our activities are of utmost importance. Our assessment and audit activities follow these values in compliance with the applicable accreditation requirements. All the necessary structural, organizational and processual measures are in place in all levels of the organization in order to avoid conflicts of interest (e.g. rigorous separation of consultancy and certification) and to ensure impartiality. We do not offer or provide management system consultancy by an accredited certification body for management systems. Within the TR Group, we ensure a minimum 2-year interval between management system consultancy and certification activity for the same costumer.
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