ShopFloor Press
Quality and manufacturing news that touches the floor
In this edition
The inaugural edition covers two weeks, Sept. 12 to 25, 2026, so the ISO 9001:2026 release makes the paper. ISO 9001:2015 certificates must transition by Sept. 30, 2029. AIAG’s Quality Summit put AI vision inspection beside the core tools, and the IATF issued complaint-handling guidance to certification bodies.
Standards Desk · Impact 92
New 9001 is out. The clock is ticking.
The International Organization for Standardization published ISO 9001:2026 on Sept. 16. It is the sixth edition of the quality management standard that ISO says more than one million organizations rely on. By ISO’s account, the revision improves clarity, puts more weight on quality culture and leadership, and separates risks from opportunities so organizations act on both. Global ACI adds that the edition brings a new Annex A to clarify key terms and the intent of requirements.
That same day, Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI, successor to the IAF) published mandatory transition requirements. Accreditation bodies are to be ready to assess against the new edition no later than March 31, 2027. Certification bodies file their transition declarations by June 30, 2027. From March 31, 2028, new and initial accredited certifications may only be issued to ISO 9001:2026. Organizations certified to ISO 9001:2015 have until Sept. 30, 2029, to transition, at a surveillance audit, a recertification audit or a separate transition audit.
For automotive suppliers there is a second clock. The IATF’s Stakeholder Communiqué SC-2026-005 of July 2026 plans IATF 16949’s 2nd Edition for mid-2027 and says its transition will end in step with ISO 9001’s.
On the floor Monday
Don’t rewrite your manual this quarter. Get the new standard, check it clause by clause against what you run today, and put the transition on your next management review agenda.
Source: ISO, Sept. 16, 2026; Global ACI, Sept. 16, 2026; IATF SC-2026-005, July 2026 (background).
Automotive Desk · Impact 78
AI takes the podium in Novi
The Automotive Industry Action Group held its 2026 Quality Summit Sept. 23 and 24 in Novi, Michigan, under the theme “Elevating Standards in the Age of AI.” One panel of OEM, supplier and certification-body speakers was billed to apply CQI-38 to AI vision inspection, naming data quality, model drift, change control, verification and audit readiness as the risks. Other sessions covered AI-assisted root cause analysis and preparing quality data for AI.
The core tools held their ground on the same program: an update on the newly released AIAG & VDA SPC Manual, a CQI update covering CQI-9 Heat Treat 5th Edition and CQI-19 Sub-Tier Supplier Management Version 2, an OEM warranty panel, an IATF 16949 2nd Edition and Rules 6th Edition Q&A with the IATF oversight managers, and an ISO 9001:2026 readiness session.
This paper is reporting the program as AIAG published it. We have no verified account of what was said in any session.
On the floor Monday
Before anyone buys AI vision for your inspection station, read what CQI-38 expects. And a new SPC manual means your control chart training needs a second look.
Source: AIAG, Quality Summit event page and agenda, aiag.org, Sept. 23 and 24, 2026.
Auto Beat · Impact 70
IATF issues complaint-handling guidance
On Sept. 18 the IATF posted CB Communiqué 2026-005, “Consistent Application of IATF CMS Complaint Handling.” It gives certification bodies supplemental guidance for consistent, independent and risk-based decisions on OEM customer performance complaints handled through the IATF Complaint Management System.
The communiqué is addressed to certification bodies, not suppliers. Still, any supplier with an open or recent OEM performance complaint should know how its certification body will weigh it. No OEM customer-specific requirement changes were posted in the window.
On the floor Monday
If you have an open OEM complaint, bring it to your next management review with the containment and root cause, not just a status.
Source: iatfglobaloversight.org, Latest News, Sept. 18, 2026; checked Sept. 25.
Extension Desk · Impact 45
NIST puts $30 million behind MEP centers
On Sept. 15 NIST announced more than $30 million in competitively awarded funding for 12 Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers, to help small and medium-sized manufacturers adopt AI, robotics, automation and additive manufacturing. The centers are in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Utah and Vermont.
On the floor Monday
If your plant is in one of those states, your local MEP center is worth a phone call before your next automation project.
Source: NIST, news release, Sept. 15, 2026.
Audit Desk · Impact 45
Auditors pack the house in Rosemont
ASQ’s 2026 Audit Division Conference ran Sept. 23 and 24 in Rosemont, Illinois, under the theme “Future Ready: Empowering Auditors, Transforming Tomorrow.” ASQ closed registration once the event reached full capacity and has pointed those who missed out to the division’s complimentary monthly webinars. We have no verified account of the sessions themselves.
Source: ASQ, Audit Division Conference page, asq.org, Sept. 23 and 24, 2026.
Shop Floor Economy · Impact 35
Output flat as new machines land
Quality Magazine reported that total U.S. industrial production was flat in August 2026, the manufacturing index slipped 0.3 percentage points, and capacity utilization among manufacturers dipped slightly. AMT read the dip as a side effect of five strong months of machinery buying, and expects utilization may fall a bit further as new equipment reaches shop floors. That is AMT’s forecast, not a finding.
On the floor Monday
New machine landing? Plan the capability study and the control plan update before it runs production parts, not after the first customer reject.
Source: Quality Magazine, Sept. 21, 2026, citing AMT.