ISO/TS 16949 vs. national standards

For, ISO/TS 16949 is an option for suppliers along with QS-9000 and VDA 6.1. It can be used in place of the national standards. The general trend seems to be a move away from national standards to the international ISO/TS 16949 standard, although not all national schemes have set formal transition deadlines. The Big 3 in the United States - DaimlerChrysler, General Motors and Ford - are phasing out QS-9000, making ISO/TS 16949 the mandatory requirement (December 2006).