Because the automotive industry has become a global industry, the need for a common set of quality management system requirements has become imperative. In this regard, a new version of the international automotive specification ISO/TS 16949 is introduced. Some of the key messages of ISO/TS 16949 are the reduction of waste in the supply chain and that continual improvement is only applicable when conformity has been established. To ensure greater uniformity in ISO/TS 16949 certification, the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) designed a certification scheme in which they are the regulator for the automotive-specific requirements. As a result, opportunists in the certification business will be excluded and, unlike ISO 9000 certification, third-party auditors who cannot demonstrate their competency to independent examiners every three years will be removed from this sector.