The Qualitymanagement System Standards VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 and VDA 6.4 are commonly referred to as the “VDA 6.X Standards”. Strictly speaking, there are further standards or sets of rules in the VDA 6.X series, although certification is only possible according to the three aforementioned standards. These three standards are therefore dealt with in more detail here.
The current edition of the VDA 6.1 Standard is the 5th edition (2016). It was developed for companies that have series production of production materials for cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes as well as other vehicles that are granted road approval.
The current edition of the VDA 6.2 Standard is the 3rd edition (2017). It was developed for companies that provide any kind of automotive service to the automotive industry.
The current edition of the VDA 6.4 standard is the 3rd edition (2017). This standard was developed for companies that develop and manufacture production equipment for the automotive industry.
An overview of all (other) VDA 6.X quality standards or sets of rules can be found in the following diagram:
The auditing and certification of a QM System of companies in the automotive industry according to VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 or VDA 6.4 is carried out according to the cross-standard certification rules of the VDA Volume 6 and the industry-specific requirements of the relevant QM System Standard.
In VDA Volume 6, the 6th edition, September 2016, the complete audit and certification cycle and process of an initial certification up to re-certification is presented.
In addition, this volume contains, among other things, the following requirements and specifications on:
- Requirements for the VDA 6.X Certification Bodies
- General requirements for the VDA 6-X audit process
- Performance of audits (pre-audit, initial certification audit, surveillance audit, recertification audit) and issuing of a VDA 6.X certificate
- Requirements for the decertification process
The standard VDA 6.1 (5. edition) was developed primarily for companies in the automotive industry that:
- manufacture passenger cars, trucks (light, medium and heavy), buses, motorbikes as well as other vehicles that can be granted road approval and/or
- manufacture assemblies, production materials, production/spare parts for the above mentioned products.
In the 5th edition, the essential requirements of ISO 9001:2015 (risk-oriented approach) have been taken into account and, among other things, the contents of the VDA volume “Quality-related costs” have been added.
The assessment of the QM system on the basis of VDA Volume 6.1 is carried out using a questionnaire which is divided into so-called elements. For each element, the general requirements are described in an introduction, the subject matter is briefly explained in its context and the questions are listed.
Special requirements for service organisations in the automotive industry
High expectations of products, stricter product liability and international competition demand highly effective quality management systems in all areas of the automotive industry.
Manufacturers of automobiles and their suppliers are drawing more and more on the support of service organisations in this regard. These services are provided in all phases of the product life cycle.
The chapter structure of this VDA volume follows ISO 9001:2015 and thus the specifications of Annex SL of ISO. The industry-specific additional requirements are highlighted in this volume with the corresponding chapter numbers and titles in italics.
Special requirements for manufacturers of means of production for the automotive industry
Means of production are one of the most important success factors of the automotive industry.
The quality of the means of production and tools, but also the cooperative collaboration with the customer is the focus of this industry-specific set of rules.
The chapter structure of this VDA volume follows ISO 9001:2015 and thus the specifications of Annex SL of ISO. In this volume, the sector-specific additional requirements to ISO 9001 are presented, whereby the requirements of ISO 9001 itself are not included for licensing reasons.