Industry
The most documentation-heavy vertical in commercial manufacturing.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive component manufacturers — IATF 16949, PPAP, control plans, FMEA, supplier flowdown.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive component manufacturers operate under IATF 16949 — arguably the most demanding documentation regime in the commercial manufacturing world. PPAP, control plans, FMEA, supplier flowdown, OEM-specific requirements — the paper burden is enormous, and the gap between what the QMS says and what the floor does is exactly where the team finds the most value.
Mike's automotive background runs to the front of his forty years. We know this vertical.
Quick answer
Brass & Bench works Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive component manufacturers through Mike Fox's automotive background (front of his 40-year career), Lorrie Lynn's IATF 16949 documentation-to-floor reality-check expertise, and Ben Kurtz's industrial engineering depth for high-volume stamping, machining, and assembly. The team handles OEM-specific quality reviews (Ford, GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Honda), PPAP/APQP support, supplier flowdown, acquisition readiness, and insurance audits tuned to automotive recall exposure.
By Ben Kurtz · Founding Partner — Industrial Engineering · Updated May 14, 2026Regulatory layer
The compliance reality.
IATF 16949 quality management. OEM-specific QMS additions (Ford Q1, GM BIQS, Stellantis SQAM, Toyota TS, Honda HSPM). PPAP submission requirements (Levels 1-5). APQP planning. Customer-specific recall and field-action management. NHTSA reporting where applicable. ELV/RoHS material disclosure. IMDS reporting.