It eliminated redundancy and waste by providing a common set of quality standards for the industry to follow.
QS-9000 replaced company-specific quality system requirements such as Ford’s Q-101, Chrysler’s Supplier Quality Assurance Manual, GM’s NAO Targets for Excellence, and the Truck Manufacturer’s quality system manuals. After two years of development, including representatives of third-party certification organizations, QS-9000 was introduced in August of 1994. In late 1992, executives of the big three auto manufacturers, along with some truck manufacturers, met to develop a single set of quality system requirements for themselves and their suppliers.
Despite it being obsolete and no longer used by the automotive industry, we will take a trip down memory lane and describe what QS-9000 was and what quality standards replaced it. The graveyard headstone for QS-9000 says Born: 1994, Died: 2006.
