On April 7th, 2022, IATF reported that the organization had approved Stakeholder Communique SC-2022-006 Rules 5th Edition FAQ and Sanctioned Interpretations.

Of special note is the update to FAQ 8, which poses the question as to whether additional audit time should be added if poor OEM scorecard performance is caused by the ongoing semiconductor shortage that has rocked the automotive industry for over two years.

This is, of course, in reference to SI 26: Audit day determination, which lays out the framework for additional audit time that is to be added when an organization does not meet the IATF quality and/or delivery targets specified in the IATF OEM scorecard(s).

The updated FAQ answers in the negative, stating that this shortage is well known to all stakeholders in the automotive industry and that suppliers should be working with customers to adjust delivery or other associated score deductions caused by the shortage. Not managing supply shortages or failing to notify customers of issues, however, may indicate other IATF process gaps and may warrant additional audit time.