PPAP
This demands a proper understanding of:
- Customer engineering designs
- Records and specification requirements by suppliers
- Delivery of processes that ensure product consistency during an actual production run.
PPAP necessitates a sample run on actual production tooling, using the same procedures, personnel, production facility, and all other aspects of the outlined production run. This is in turn is assessed across criteria to ensure consistency of requirements specified.
The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) provides customers with evidence that:
- Customer engineering designs
- Records and specification requirements by suppliers
- Delivery of processes that ensure product consistency during an actual production run.
The PPAP process is governed by the PPAP manual published by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) and it is the ultimate resource for those in automotive supplier quality management.
The PPAP checklist includes all the requirements, called elements, for a complete PPAP package and identifies different PPAP levels (from 1 to 5). There are 18 possible elements that must be checked off.
Each PPAP level determines the specific requirements for each element and indicates which elements should be submitted to the customer.
Beacon Desyne can work with you to effectively document these processes to help deliver traceability and accountability.
The documentation areas include:
- Authorized Engineering Change Documents Customer Engineering Approval
- Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (DFMEA)
- Process-Flow Diagram
- Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA)
- Control Plan
- Measurement System Analysis (MSA)
- Dimensional Results
- Records of Material / Performance Test Results
- Initial Process Studies
- Qualified Laboratory Documentation
- Appearance Approval Report (AAR) Sample Production Parts
- Master Sample
- Checking Aids
- Customer-Specific Requirements
- Part Submission Warrant (PSW)
APQP
Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) is a quality framework used for developing new products in the automotive industry. The purpose of APQP process is to “produce a product quality plan which will support development of a product or service that will satisfy the customer.”
This is usually done by focusing on:
- Up-front quality planning
- Evaluation of output to determine customer satisfaction.
The process for APQP was developed by some of the major automotive companies and Automotive Division of American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) around 1980.
Totally, 23 topics are monitored and documented in APQP.
These topics cover different aspects that include:
Benefits
- Design
- Production
- Items critical to ensure error-free and fail-safe products.
- Processes
- Quality
This step is completed prior to commencement of production. Every activity is structured to enable measurement, analysis and improvement.
Beacon Desyne provides documentation support extends in the following areas:
APQP Phases
Plan & define program
- Design goals
- Reliability goals
- Preliminary bill of material creation
- Preliminary process flow chart
- Preliminary listing of special product and process characteristics
- Product assurance plan
- Management support
Product design & development
- Design failure mode and effects analysis
- Design for manufacturing and assembly
- Design verification
- Design reviews
- Prototype build-control plan
- Engineering drawings (including math data)
- Engineering specifications
- Drawing and specification changes
Product design & development
- Packaging standards
- Product/process quality system review
- Preliminary bill of material creation
- Floor plan layout
- Process flow chart
- Characteristics matrix
- PFMEA (process failure mode effects analysis)
- Pre-launch control plan
- Process instructions
- Measurement system analysis plan
- Preliminary process capability study plan
- Packaging specifications
- Management support
Product design & development
- Production trial run
- Measurement systems evaluation
- Preliminary process capability study
- Production Part Approval (PPAP)
- Production validation testing
- Packaging evaluation
- Production control plan
- Quality planning sign-off and management support
Feedback, Assessment, and Corrective Action
- Reduced variation
- Customer satisfaction
- Documentation and service
Supplier Audits
Beacon Desyne works with you to identify conformity in quality yardsticks, manufacturing processes, change procedures, invoicing and shipment processes and analyses to verify supplier veracity.
These audits are necessary to:
- Verify supplier products and processes compliance.
- Manage supply quality mechanisms and resource allocations.
- Create an integrated audit system aligned with business goals.
- Value- add at every level to stay relevant in the markets served.
IMDS Quality Areas
The International Material Data System (IMDS) is a global data repository that contains information on materials used by the automotive industry.
IMDS facilitates meeting the obligations placed on automobile manufacturers, and thus on their suppliers, by national and international standards, laws and regulations.
Several leading auto manufacturers use the IMDS to maintain data for various reporting requirements.
Beacon Desyne can work with you to help you with the documentation of IMDS compliance.
This process includes:
- Creation of data sheets for the parts and materials.
- Dat submission to the IMDS Database.
- Approval of data submissions.
- Updation of records at regular intervals.