The German trade association for the automotive industry is known by the initials VDA (Verband der deutschen Automobilindustrie E.V.) and given the size and importance of the automotive sector within the German economy it enjoys a good reputation and substantial influence. In 1997 the VDA set up a Quality Management Centre (QMC) for the benefit of German automotive OEM’s and their suppliers. The work of the QMC ranges from developing systems and methods to shaping the future of quality management systems in the automotive industry.
Developed by VDA QMC and the German automotive industry, VDA 6.3 defines a process based audit standard for evaluating and improving controls in a manufacturing organisation’s processes. Revised in 2010, the standard was comprehensively restructured to reflect the changes to ISO9001 and customer specific requirements in the automotive industry. SMMT have been appointed by VDA QMC Germany to deliver approved VDA 6.3 training and qualification modules. The standard can be used by any organisation, either for internal process audits, or for evaluating potential or existing suppliers. Compliance to VDA 6.3 is mandated by some vehicle makers and encouraged by others.
VDA 6.3 is an excellent tool for process audits within the automotive industry acting as a guideline for performing audits. It provides information on the significance and application scope of a process audit over the entire product realization cycle in both manufacturing and services It defines the audit process, the criteria for evaluation of the process audit results and the requirements of the processes. At the heart of the standard, each step in the process is modelled with six links and is governed by the Deming Loop – Plan Do Check Act. There are three grades that an organisation can reach under VDA 6.3 – A, B & C. This means that an organisation can pass the audit but still have scope for further improvement.