ROVER Quality Management System (QMS)
The introduction of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 only resulted in minor changes to Australian Design Rule (ADR) compliance, resulting in minimal disruption to the design of a road vehicle in Australia. A major change introduced, however, was the requirement for manufacturers to have a robust quality management system (QMS) in place if they were supplying road vehicles or road vehicle components in commercial quantities. This is a significant increase in requirements compared to under the previous MVSA legislation where a brief quality management plan for manufacturing was required to be produced for an approval.
What is A Quality Management System (QMS)?
A Quality Management System is a set of procedures and processes which outline the key steps a business takes to ensure that their product offering can be consistently delivered in a manner that meets customer expectations.
Understanding ROVER QMS Requirements
The regulatory requirements for a quality management system through the RVSA legislation are to "demonstrate you have full control over all stages of the design, componentry and manufacturing process, or, have access to information about the design, componentry and manufacture of the component." The Road Vehicle Standards Rules 2019 list quality management system as being required for Vehicle Type Approvals (VTA), Component Type Approvals (CTA) or Registered Automotive Workshops (RAWs). The department provides resources for applicants to help meet regulatory requirements for a QMS through documents such as their quality management system checklist.
The key principles quality management systems in supporting ROVER approvals is to ensure that consistent quality is maintained when manufacturing any road vehicle or road vehicle component. A quality management system needs to be updated regularly to ensure continual improvement, with processes such as internal audits a required part of the quality objectives to review the efficiency and effectiveness of each process, resulting in updates being made as required. The system also must identify which person(s) have responsibilities for design, manufacturing and record keeping control which could include top management, leadership teams or other team members.
A quality management system complying with the ROVER requirements needs to cover topics relating to the manufacture such as purchasing control, engineering documentation and the change process approach, supplier quality assurance, material control and storage and the manufacturing processes itself. Once the vehicle or component is supplied the QMS still needs to cover field service and recall procedures with a customer focus element relating to resolutions and how faults are recorded.
Our QMS Compliance Services
ROVER Quality Management System (QMS) template
BTT Engineering have worked with numerous manufacturers and have experience in quality management systems through our own ISO 9001 accreditation. Through our experience in this space and understanding of industry requirements we have generated a set of ROVER Quality Management System (QMS) template documentation which is available to purchase. It is extremely unlikely for any QMS template documentation to exactly capture the operations of a single organisation, therefore any business looking at implementing QMS template documentation should assess their own processes and ensure that their quality management system is updated to reflect the actual quality processes that the business undertakes.
Conformity of Production Audits
For manufacturers looking to have assistance to implement their ROVER QMS or alternatively seeking some feedback in regards to their current system and quality management processes, BTT Engineering can provide on site and remote audits of documentation based on our understanding of the RVS legislation. Our audits consider the ROVER quality management system requirements and will include a report with an individual risk assessment and proposed solution on each finding provided. While there are no recognised external audits for a non-ISO 9001 system, the RVS legislation does consider the leadership commitment of a business to quality control when conducting their compliance audits therefore those who are actively seeking to maintain their quality management systems and meet regulatory standards will be looked upon more favourably when issuing improvement notices than businesses who implement quality management system documentation at the time of their approval but neglect to use their system or update its contents.
Benefits of QMS Compliance
Having a compliant quality management system in place will enable organisations to meet regulatory requirements for a Vehicle Type Approval (VTA), Component Type Approval (CTA) or Registered Automotive Workshops (RAWs) relating to quality standards. A quality management system extract is no longer required to be uploaded during the ROVER assessment process however at the point of application a declaration is required stating that a QMS is in place and the QMS could be asked for at the time of application.
Aside from regulatory compliance, having a quality management system in place will ensure that a business can maintain outputs resulting in high quality and customer satisfaction. Keeping a detailed record of processes and procedures will assist with ensuring that a business can meet their customer requirements consistently by minimising quality risks and maintaining high standards during production. Many of our clients have remarked that after the initial investment of getting a quality management system up and running they have seen dividends in efficiency of manufacturing their units.
Why Choose BTT Engineering for QMS Assistance?
BTT Engineering have a unique offering for clients looking to have assistance from our professional services with their ROVER quality management system requirements through being a leading provider in submitting ROVER approvals on behalf of clients and other related services including testing and ADR analysis complementing our experience with quality management systems through our own ISO 9001 certification. Our approach considers customer needs and aims to deliver information in an easy to understand manner, empowering our clients to feel confident in knowing their requirements and maintain their system.
Related services that we can help with
For further information on some of our particular ROVER services, please follow the links below:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need to have ISO 9001 accreditation for a ROVER approval?
No! An ISO 9001 accreditation is one method of demonstrating that a quality management system is in place, however you can have your own system in place which outlines how you can demonstrate control over the design and manufacture of any road vehicle or road vehicle component
Do I need a Quality Management System if I am importing or contracting out the manufacture of my trailers?
Yes! As part of the eligibility criteria for the Road Vehicle Standards Rules 2019 part 19, the application must be able to ensure that the design, componentry and manufacturing process will consistently produce the type of vehicle whether they have full control themselves over the design/manufacture or not
Is there such thing as a ROVER approved QMS?
No, each Quality Management System is assessed on its own merits and does not at any stage get approved on its own. An ISO 9001 certification is a formally approved Quality Management System however this is managed independently to the RVSA legislation.
Is it difficult to implement a QMS?
No - if you have experience with manufacturing a road vehicle or component you likely will already have some quality system processes in place that just need to be documented. Final inspections, specification documentations, standard operating procedures and stocktake of resources are all common practises within a business that are part of a quality management system. You should just set aside some time to document it all yourself which you can get a head start on with our ROVER QMS template documentation
I'm not sure whether a Quality Management System is required in my situation, what should I do?
Potential clients seeking further information on their requirements and particular situation should get in contact with BTT Engineering for an initial consultation.