IATF 16949® Certifications Worldwide by Region & Why It Matters

This simpleQuE infographic shows the distribution of IATF 16949® certifications worldwide by region. As of October 2019, there was a total of 75,970 certified sites, with China holding almost 50% of the global certifications.  China’s high percentage of certifications is due to the country’s mandate for IATF 16949® certification all the way down the supply chain.  The 2nd part of the infographic lists countries with more than 500 IATF 16949:2016 certified sites across the globe.  The United States comes in at 3,882 certified sites and about 5% of the total.

Some of the reasons for this growth are:

• Customer-specific requirement to be IATF 16949® certified
• IATF 16949® requirements 8.4.1.2 and 8.4.2.3 state that supply chain risks dictate an internal plan for suppliers to be certified to IATF 16949® or work toward IATF 16949® compliance or, ultimately, certification.
• Companies are recognizing the value of being IATF 16949® certified.

So why do these stats matter to your company?

• IATF 16949® is a requirement to be a supplier to the car and truck makers (OEMs) around the world
• IATF® certification demonstrates that a supplier can provide high-quality products with no defects and inspires trust that they will deliver what is promised
• The OEMs and higher Tiers have seen that suppliers who are certified have fewer quality escapes, fewer recalls, and have less problems than those suppliers who are not certified.
• The IATF 16949® standard (clause 8.4.2.3) requires plans for the supply chain to be working toward IATF 16949® compliance and, ultimately, certification
• At a minimum, suppliers must be at least ISO 9001 certified, working toward IATF® compliance.

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MAQMSR vs IATF 16949®

We Can Help: IATF 16949^® Experts a Click Away

If you’re searching for an IATF 16949:2016 consultant, our team at simpleQuE is well-positioned to support your IATF 16949® and MAQMSR consulting (Minimum Automotive Quality Management System Requirements), certification, maintenance, training and internal auditing needs. Our consultants are qualified, certified, and are experts on the automotive standards, customer-specific requirements, and AIAG or VDA core tools. In addition, many are current or former 3rd party auditors who bring valuable insight because of the knowledge gained from auditing for certification bodies.

SimpleQuE also offers a full line-up of IATF 16949 training courses which includes AIAG and VDA Core Tools, Root Cause Analysis and Problem Solving, Requirements and Implementation.  With IATF® also putting a major focus on internal auditor competency, it is essential to have IATF 16949® Internal Auditor Training. Our IATF 16949® auditor training utilizes the process audit approach. Contact Our IATF® consultants to learn more about the customized services offered to match your certification and training needs.

Obtaining and maintaining IATF 16949® and meeting all of the related Customer Specific Requirements (CSRs) is difficult, which is why we’ve created free IATF 16949® tools, checklists and resources for your use. 

SimpleQuE is not associated with the IATF®, IAOB, ANAB®, IAQG®, and is not a certification body. SimpleQuE is an independent consulting, training, and second-party auditing service provider that assists a company on a path for the company to obtain and maintain certification through accredited certification bodies.