📚 Starter PackAutomotive Manufacturing
Certification Starter Pack — Automotive Supplier
Every major OEM and Tier 1 in India — Maruti, Tata, Mahindra, Stellantis, Toyota — requires IATF 16949 for supplier approval. ISO 9001 is the prerequisite. ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 follow. This page maps the roadmap.
ISO 9001 is prerequisite for IATF 16949IATF 16949 mandatory for OEM supply chainCustomer-Specific Requirements add to the base standard
OEM prerequisite
ISO 9001
Required before IATF 16949
OEM requirement
IATF 16949
Mandatory for Tier 1 and most Tier 2
Sustainability push
ISO 14001 + ISO 45001
Increasingly required alongside IATF
Core tools
APQP, PPAP, FMEA, Control Plan, MSA, SPC
Required by IATF 16949
Your certification roadmap — in the right order
Start at Step 1. Each step builds on the previous. Trying to skip foundational steps delays everything that follows.
ISO 9001★ Mandatory
The prerequisite for IATF 16949. Cannot hold IATF 16949 without ISO 9001. Build documented processes, quality records, and management review.
Full guide ↗
IATF 16949★ Mandatory
The automotive quality standard. Supplements ISO 9001. Requires APQP, PPAP, FMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and SPC. Customer-Specific Requirements (CSRs) are mandatory additions from each OEM.
Full guide ↗
ISO 14001✓ Recommended
Increasingly required by OEMs as part of their supplier sustainability programmes. Shares Annex SL with ISO 9001 — can be certified in a combined audit.
Full guide ↗
ISO 45001✓ Recommended
OH&S management. Required by many Tier 1 customers. Replaced OHSAS 18001 (withdrawn March 2021). Shares Annex SL.
Full guide ↗
Six Sigma & Lean✓ Recommended
Expected capability by OEM auditors. IATF auditors ask about improvement projects. Green and Black Belt certification demonstrates methodological competence.
Full guide ↗
SA8000○ Optional
Required by some European OEMs and their Tier 1s. Worker rights and social accountability. More common in labour-intensive Tier 2 and Tier 3 supply chains.
Full guide ↗
All certifications for automotive supplier
IATF 16949
★ Mandatory
The automotive quality standard. Only IATF-sanctioned CBs can certify.
Read the full guide ↗
ISO 14001
✓ Recommended
Environmental management. Required by many OEM sustainability programmes.
Read the full guide ↗
ISO 45001
✓ Recommended
OH&S management. Replaced OHSAS 18001. Often required by Tier 1 customers.
Read the full guide ↗
Six Sigma
✓ Recommended
Process improvement capability. IATF auditors ask about DMAIC projects.
Read the full guide ↗
SA8000
○ Optional
Social accountability. Required by some European automotive supply chains.
Read the full guide ↗
Internal Audit programme
★ Mandatory
Required by IATF 16949. Annual audit covering all QMS process areas.
Read the full guide ↗
Skill Matrix
★ Mandatory
Required by IATF 16949 cl. 7.2. Competence evidence for all quality-affecting roles.
Read the full guide ↗
Clicarity — Live Job Process Tracker & Bottleneck Identifier
Clicarity tracks your production jobs with the stage-wise records IATF 16949 requires.
IATF 16949 requires traceability from customer PO to despatch. Every job in Clicarity captures: customer PO number, part number, drawing revision, operator at every stage, in-process measurement results, and first-off approval. When a work order splits into component pairs (left bracket, right bracket), each is tracked through CMM inspection independently. When they rejoin at final release, the complete Device History Record — first-off, in-process, final — is preserved in one traceable job record.
Clicarity is a process tracking tool. It does not provide certification, consulting, or audit services.
Common questions from automotive suppliers
Do I need ISO 9001 before IATF 16949?
Yes. ISO 9001 is a prerequisite for IATF 16949. Both are certified simultaneously by IATF-sanctioned CBs.
Which CBs can certify IATF 16949?
Only IATF-sanctioned CBs. Not all NABCB-accredited CBs are IATF-sanctioned. Verify at iatfglobaloversight.org before engaging.
What are Customer-Specific Requirements?
CSRs are mandatory additions to IATF 16949 published by each OEM and Tier 1. You must review and implement the CSRs of every customer. IATF auditors verify this.
Is OHSAS 18001 still accepted?
No. OHSAS 18001 was fully withdrawn in March 2021. ISO 45001:2018 is the only valid OH&S management system standard.