Industry Insights · Industry · Sep 25, 2026

Automotive Parts Quality Systems — What IATF 16949 and Hyundai/Kia SQ Certification Require of Surface Treatment Suppliers

Automotive surface treatment suppliers are required to meet both the international standard IATF 16949 and the OEM's own SQ (Supplier Quality) certification. This article summarizes, based on public sources, how the two systems differ and which items are actually checked in the anodizing process.

In the automotive supply chain, surface treatment is classified as a special process. Because coating quality is difficult to assure through final product inspection alone, a system for controlling the process itself is required. Internationally, IATF 16949 fills this role; in the Korean OEM supply chain, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia SQ certification does.

IATF 16949:2016

IATF 16949:2016 (1st edition) is the automotive quality management system standard issued by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) to cancel and replace ISO/TS 16949:2009 (3rd edition). ISO/TS 16949 was first created in 1999 to harmonize assessment and certification systems across the global automotive supply chain, and was revised in 2002 and 2009. According to the IATF, IATF 16949:2016 has a strong customer orientation and incorporates numerous customer-specific requirements (CSRs), and the IATF maintains liaison status with ISO to ensure alignment with ISO 9001. IATF 16949 thus builds automotive requirements on top of ISO 9001, and certification is granted through audits by IATF-recognized certification bodies.

Requirements directly relevant to surface treatment suppliers include the following.

Consistency among process flow diagrams, PFMEA, control plans and work instructions
Measurement system analysis (MSA) and statistical process control (SPC): control of special characteristics such as coating thickness and sealing quality
Preventive maintenance of equipment and tooling, chemical analysis frequency and records, and calibrated measuring instruments
Change management and traceability: customer approval procedures for changes in chemicals, equipment or conditions
Nonconforming product control and corrective action, internal audits and management review

Hyundai/Kia SQ Certification

SQ (Supplier Quality) certification is a supplier quality certification program for tier-2 and tier-3 suppliers of Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, operated as a qualification requirement for suppliers in the relevant industries to deliver parts to tier-1 suppliers. According to certification guidance materials, covered industries include plating, painting, heat treatment, welding, casting and forging, injection molding, rubber, wiring and electronics. The process runs from application through a tier-1 supplier or the OEM → establishment of a quality system based on the SQ guidelines → self-assessment using industry-specific assessment sheets → on-site assessment → scoring and grading → periodic and special audits. Public guidance materials describe a pass mark of 83 points with S/A/B grades, but detailed criteria follow the OEM's guidelines. A 2016 SNM News report presented contrasting views: the program places staffing and investment burdens on process specialists such as heat treaters and platers, while also raising quality levels and providing a foundation for exports.

How the Two Systems Relate

IATF 16949 is an international standard under which a third party audits the entire management system, while SQ is a customer certification in which the OEM directly evaluates process control capability by industry. For an anodizing company, the raw material, equipment, process, quality and development management items in the SQ assessment sheet are process-level specifications of IATF 16949 requirements, so it is efficient to operate both within a single document system (process flow diagram–PFMEA–control plan–work instruction–records).

Example Items Checked in the Anodizing Process

Coating thickness measurement method and measurement points (ISO 7599 excludes areas within 5 mm of contact points; MIL-PRF-8625 uses an 8-point average per ASTM B244)
Sealing assessment (ISO 3210 mass loss, ASTM B136 dye drop) and periodic salt spray testing
Records of electrolyte concentration and temperature, records of rectifier settings, and specification of rack contact locations on drawings
Retention of thickness tolerance (±20 %) and Taber abrasion test results for hard coatings

EF Technology operates process records and change management based on its integrated IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 system and its SQ certification.

References

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