Borealis receives technical certification for its automotive solutions

Borealis was recently awarded the ISO/TS 16949:2002 technical specification for two key production facilities serving the automotive business. Following audits conducted by Det Norske Veritas during April 2005 the certification was awarded to Schwechat, Austria and Beringen, Belgium, providing Borealis automotive customers with the continuing assurance of polypropylene (PP) and PP compound material quality specific to the criteria set by the industry.

ISO/TS 16949:2002 is an international technical specification for suppliers to the automotive industry that is progressively replacing the QS 9000 standard. The specification is a prerequisite for supplying materials to the automotive sector. It stands together with ISO 9001:2000 accreditation, which a company must have in order to proceed to this certification.

According to Walter Baumann, Vice President, Business Unit Engineering Applications: “ISO/TS 16949:2002 underpins Borealis’ ability to manage the processes that enable it to deliver solutions geared to the automotive industry’s needs.”

“In line with our drive to continuously improve delivering added value to customers, we have simplified and sharpened the focus on our quality-process. To achieve this we have consolidated Quality Management System auditing under a single accrediting authority, which is now Det Norske Veritas (DNV), and for the first time we have brought together production facilities serving the automotive business under one common certificate,” says Baumann.

The ISO/TS 16949 specification has been jointly developed by members of the International Automotive Task Force. This body comprises vehicle manufacturers and their respective trade associations in France, Germany, Italy, UK and the USA. The specification embodies the automotive quality system requirements of those countries collectively and, together with customer-specific demands, it defines the quality requirements of the automotive supply chain.