There have been various threads about this question I have found at the SMMT (http://www.smmt.co.uk/businessimprovement/) the following attachment.
There is also a lot of other information available

One member of IATF presented the numbers of TS certified organizations at the ISO/TC 176 meeting in Kuala Lumpur indicated that there are some 10,200 as at Dec. 2004. My friend sent me a copy.

I am quite positive that there are more than sixty five (65) TS certified organizations in Malaysia (certainly not 35 as at Jan. 2005).

Can the IATF really release the offical numbers?????

Sorry. I just realised that the figures provided by Howard was Jan. 2004. So, 10,200 could be the appropriate numbers of certified TS organizations as Dec. 2004.

I must admit I did not see that it was so old myself, what is interesting is that the growth in 11 months is not very great, some 2000 on the 8000 that existed 11 months before.
Comments anyone

Same opinion: Interesting growth.

Have a look on the numbers of SMMT/UK or VDA/Germany. According to the data given, numbers of TS2-certified organisations in Germany tripled in 2004 and for UK the numbers are 5 times higher than in Jan 04.

Such enormous groths rates always leave me in a state of doubt.

By the way: I am quite curious how - in case of UK - 6 CBs certified 1184 organisations in less than 12 months.

The first data provided by Howard showed that beside the 5 oversighted offices data shaded BLUE and there are several figures in other countries marked YELLOW are not accounted for...Technically, these YELLOW data should have been among the 5 oversight offices.

The second data provided by me shows that the consolidated figures under 5 oversight offices. This may show the double increament of certified organisations for SMMT & VDA.

Not surpringly that VDA has increased numbers cos' several TUV off-site offices (Hessen, RWTUV, Rheiland, South, etc) have been certifying TS organizations in this part of the world. At least one third of TS organisations in Malaysia have been certified under VDA scheme.

Perhaps, perhaps, someone can get the IATF to release the official figures.

Same opinion: Interesting growth.

Have a look on the numbers of SMMT/UK or VDA/Germany. According to the data given, numbers of TS2-certified organisations in Germany tripled in 2004 and for UK the numbers are 5 times higher than in Jan 04.

Such enormous groths rates always leave me in a state of doubt.

By the way: I am quite curious how - in case of UK - 6 CBs certified 1184 organisations in less than 12 months.

Some of this can be explained in relation to the difference between the tables- my table refers to countries and the second to oversight bodies.
Example in Israel there is no Israeli based registration body rather there are 2 auditors from the Israel Standards Institute whom are qualified and perform audits in the name of an English registrar. This means that the approx 20 Israeli registrations appear in the UK column. I would imagine that there are other examples say in easter Europe, India, Far East.

I attended a TS seminar run by SMMT last week, they estimate the total UK certs to be about 550. My own
assessor has only done 1 new TS this year with only one
new one booked for the rest of the year so far. I expect this is a case of the UK waiting untill the last minute to upgrade from QS.

Could it be that the cost of maintaining all of this TS is causing the Customer to cut down on the number of Tier I suppliers to reduce its overall product cost?

Very easy to do, require company A to ship the sub-widget (formally installed on the Customer's line) to Company B who installs it in the Main Widget and ships it along with the Variety of Widgets it already supplies to the Customer. Company B needs TS, company A can update from QS9k to ISO9k2k as a faithful Approved Supplier of Company B.

I have real life examples but I better not share.