Product quality and safety

Consistent level of quality

Bestandteil des GNFK StartThe company ensures and improves the quality of its products and processes with a variety of tools: All Schaeffler Group production sites¹⁾ have certified management systems in accordance with globally recognized quality standards and regulations. The company has successfully implemented the requirements of the following certification-relevant standards in all Schaeffler plants concerned worldwide:

• IATF 16949:2016 quality management system, automotive industry standard
• ISO/TS 22163 quality management system, with specific requirements for the application of ISO 9001:2015 in the railway sector
• SAE AS 9100D:2016-09-20 quality management systems, requirements for aerospace and defense organizations
• ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, industry standard

The conformity of the products, systems, and processes is periodically checked and confirmed at the affected locations by way of internal and external audits. In 2021, product liability cases²⁾ were able to be avoided thanks to the standard company processes and the integrated product safety management system that was introduced.Bestandteil des GNFK Ende

SHAPE quality program – Sharpen. Accelerate. Perform.

Bestandteil des GNFK Start The SHAPE quality program was introduced in 2021 to continue fulfilling the Schaeffler Group’s high-quality standards. The central departments of the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, and the Chief Technology Officer work with the divisions to develop the future structure of Schaeffler quality in the four focus areas:

• Technical expertise and reputation
• Agile processes and methods
• Quality principles and mindset
• Sustainable quality and performance

As part of the Execution Program 2025, SHAPE offers the framework for divisional and central quality aspects and exploits the synergies created. The quality program should be successfully concluded by the end of 2025 and will help to ensure and further develop the Schaeffler Group’s high level of quality both now and in the future.Bestandteil des GNFK Ende

High standards in product safety

Bestandteil des GNFK StartProduct safety and conformity are key quality characteristics for industrial plants and transport systems. The company would like to guarantee them with standardized and audited processes.

The Schaeffler Group’s Product Safety and Conformity Representatives (PSCRs) undergo training in combined online and face-to-face trainings. Annual industry-related product safety days provide professionals and managers with the opportunity to exchange information with NGOs, authorities, and governmental organizations. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) has adopted these product safety days and continued to organize them nationally in the form of a product integrity conference. The VDA has also implemented a permanent working group of vehicle manufacturers and supplier representatives to optimize product safety and conformity comprehensively under the term “product integrity”. The working group is managed by representatives of Schaeffler product safety.

The PSCR network monitors and improves product safety management inside the Schaeffler Group. If required, the integrated product safety management system can also help protect the Schaeffler brand by effectively taking action against product piracy and the associated product safety risks. The brand protection strategy aims to force counterfeits out of the market worldwide – especially via civil and criminal-law measures. The company is also focusing on increasing market participant awareness and knowledge about this topic. In addition, the Schaeffler Group supports its authorized distributors with training courses, in-house trade fairs, and authentication offers. These measures also serve to minimize product liability risk for counterfeit products through product monitoring.Bestandteil des GNFK Ende

1) According to the scope of the Schaeffler Group’s management manual and valid certification rules.

2) Product liability cases (pursuant to product liability law) are claims by end users against the Schaeffler Group for compensation for damage incurred by the end user as the result of a safety-related product defect.