Increasingly becoming the global standard by automotive suppliers and manufacturers, ISO/TS 16949 defines quality management system requirements and aims for continual improvement and defect prevention. The Greenville, SC plant of Solvay Advanced Polymers (Alpharetta, GA), which manufactures Torlon polyamide-imide (PAI) products, announced that it has just earned this registration.

This standard measures key manufacturing and plant operations, including quality planning, raw materials handling, shipping and receiving, control plans, production parts approval processes, and failure mode effects analysis. The ISO/TS 16949 requirements also build on the ISO 9001:2000 requirements, for which Solvay’s Greenville plant earned its registration in 2003.

A full range of PAI products are manufactured at the facility, including glass-reinforced, carbon fiber-reinforced, and wear-resistant grades for automotive, industrial, semiconductor, aerospace, and oil and gas recovery applications. This material is often used as a replacement for steel or other metals due to its mechanical properties at operating temperatures up to 527°F (275°C), including automotive transmission seal rings, check valves, solenoid bushings, and brake components.—[email protected]