APQP or Advanced Product Quality Planning

What is APQP?
APQP or Advanced Product Quality Planning is a structured method of defining and establishing the steps
necessary to ensure that a product satisfies the customer. Effective product quality planning depends on a
company's top management's commitment to the effort required in meeting customer specifications.

The Objectives of APQP

Some of the bottom line goals of product quality planning are...

 effective communications with all those who are involved in the implementation scheme.
 timely completion of required goals.
 minimal or no quality problems.
 minimal risks related to quality during product launch.

Phases of APQP
They include...

 Plan and define the program

 Product design and development
 Process design and development
 Product and process validation
 Feedback assessment and corrective action

Planning and defining the program

This stage is designed to ensure that customer needs and expectations are clearly understood. The input of this
phase is furnished by the contract review for full service suppliers.

Outputs Include

 Design goals
 Reliability goals
 Preliminary bill of material
 Preliminary process flow chart
 Preliminary listing of special product and process characteristics
 Product assurance plan
 Management support
Suppliers can consider this phase of APQP equivalent to Design and Development Planning and Design Input
in QS-9000

Product Design and Development

This area encompasses a thorough review of product design (engineering) requirements and concludes with a
sign-off on the design reliability

Outputs by Design Responsible Activity

 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

Outputs by Advanced Product Quality Planning Team

 New equipment, tooling and facilities requirements
 Consensus on key/critical product and process characteristics?
 Gages/testing equipment requirements
  Team feasibility commitment and management support

Process Design and Development

This phase ensures that customer expectations and design requirements are carefully incorporated into the
manufacturing process.

Outputs:

 Packaging standards
 Product/process quality system review
 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 and Process Validation

Outputs:

 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

Outputs:

 Reduced variation
 Customer satisfaction
 Documentation and service

Benefits of APQP
 Resources are directed towards customer satisfaction.
 Required changes are identified early Changes close to or after product launch are avoided.
 On time delivery of a quality product at the lowest cost.
The management should develop and document a quality policy relating to grade of service provided

 the organization's image and reputation in the domain of quality objectives for improving product quality.
 approach to be adopted in the pursuit of quality objectives.
 the role of company personnel in implementing quality policy.

Systems Requirements For APQP

Documented Procedures implementing Quality Policy to-

 manage Advanced Product Quality Planning Activities

 address all required elements
 establish appropriate organizational structures
 manage necessary technical interfaces meet all customer requirements
Organizational Chart in the Quality Manual Displaying-

 the overall structure of the organization and the level of hierarchy

  the organization of the quality department
 the organization of each department (optional)

Advanced Statistical Process Control

What is Statistical Process Control?
It's about...

 Assessing variation in process and product characteristics.

 Collecting data (measuring process and product characteristics).
 Analyzing data (using statistics and exploratory data analysis).
 Making decisions based on statistical output.
 Acting on data-based decisions (knowing how processes work).

What is Quality?
Quality is defined by customers. Customers seek products and services which are fairly priced, reliable, and for
the life of these products and services, capable of satisfying the customers needs and expectations. To know
whether its products and services are of high quality, a company must listen to both 'the voices of its processes'
and 'the voices of its customers'.

To achieve high quality products and services, pro-active companies must...

 Pay attention to the input from their customers.
 Focus attention on defect prevention, not on defect detection.
 Practice process control, rather than product control.
 Continuously reduce the variation of manufacturing and service delivery processes.

SPC is necessitated by the following:

 ISO 9000
 QS 9000
 QS 9000 TE Supplement
 QS 9000 Semiconductor Supplement
 ISO 14001:2004 Environment Management System
 ISO Guide17025 Laboratory Quality System
 Quality Operating System (QOS)
 Total Quality Management (TQM)
 Continuous Improvement Strategy

Salient Features of SPC

 Provides a structure for continuous improvement.
 Creates a process with predictable performance levels & spots the impact of uncertainty in data
collection.
 Imparts directions to conduct Statistical Process Management.
 Aids decision making in process management.
 Extremely beneficial to manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and service industries.

The Role of Statistics

 Statistical Tools
 Statistical Process Control (SPC)
 Design of Experiments (DOE)
 Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
 Regression Analysis
 Simulation

Uses of Statistics
  Process Control
 Process Optimization
 Inventory Control
 Market Research and Analysis
 Customer Satisfaction Research
 Forecasting

Basic Statistics
The participants are given an easy introduction to the Basic Statistics used in Manufacturing Process Control.

Process Variation
Processes, on account of their very nature, cannot produce exactly the same output. The variation in the
process is estimated by observing the variation in the products produced. This is normally captured using
Standard Deviation or Range. The course explains the practical significance of these measures of variation.

Average
Due to the inherent variation present in the process, the individual product's characteristics values do not have
any significance in controlling the process. Their use is limited to acceptance or otherwise to the respective
product inspected. To estimate the center of the process, the Average is used.

Control Charts
The course includes explanation on data collection, construction and operation of the X-R chart, in controlling
the process. Real Time data are used for explaining these concepts.

Interpreting Control Charts

The power of the Control Charts in controlling a manufacturing process is grossly under utilized in the
industries, principally due to non-interpretation/interpretation of the Control Charts. The exact interpretations
and the actions that might be required based on the indications in the Control Charts are detailed with real time
pictorial examples.

Process Capability
The Calculation, Interpretation and Actions required on the Capability indices are explained. Special emphasis
is given to the requirements of QS 9000 on the Process Capability indices.

Advanced Statistical Process Control

More often than not, the real operational benefits of SPC are not realized on the shop-floor, primarily because
of:

 Improper sampling
 Inadequate customization of the statistical technique for a given process.
While X-R charts serve a very useful and easy introduction to the concepts of SPC, by themselves, they cannot
yield the benefits expected.

Advanced SPC is designed to provide knowledge inputs for helping organizations implement SPC by
customizing the basic concepts to cater to the needs of a particular process.

The course on advanced SPC details,

 The sampling methodology selection for effective implementation of SPC
 Other special Control Charts and their applications, viz.
o Modified Control Charts.
o Sloping Control Charts, including regression analysis
o WSUM Charts
o High tool wear Control Charts.
o X-MR Chart
o Median-Range Charts
The course also covers Control Test Methods for verifying the normality of the processes as well as the Control
Charts utilized for controlling attribute characteristics. While the initial SPC course is an introductory course for
all users of Control Charts, the advanced SPC is a course strongly recommended for designers of SPC
applications for Process Control
ISO/TS 16949:2009 - The International Quality
System Standard for Automotive Suppliers
History and Background of ISO/TS 16949
Quality systems have been deployed in the automotive industry for many years. The component suppliers were
the first to adopt BS 5750, which became the foundation of the internationally recognized ISO 9000 series of
Quality Management System standards. There was still however a general feeling that since ISO 9000 was
non-automotive specific; it did not really meet all the requirements. This led to the development of automotive
sector based variants. In the USA, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler developed QS-9000, which harmonized
their supplier quality system requirements in a single document. At the same time, in France, Germany and
Italy, similar quality system requirements were developed (EAQF, VDA6.1, AVSQ respectively). This meant that
automotive suppliers and those servicing multiple vehicle manufacturers had to comply with differing Quality
System Requirements, but all with the same intent. There grew a collective goal to harmonize automotive
quality system requirements. As a start, the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) was established. The
IATF had representatives from almost all major European and North American vehicle manufacturers, suppliers
and automotive trade associations. In collaboration with the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO), the group developed and published "ISO/TS 16949:1999 - Quality Systems - Automotive Suppliers -
Particular requirements for the application of ISO 9001:1994". The specification was developed with input
from the four established automotive standards: QS-9000, VDA6.1 (Germany), EAQF (France) and AVSQ
(Italy).

ISO/TS 16949:2009 specified the quality system requirements for the design/development, production, and
(where relevant) installation and servicing of automotive-related products. The ISO/TS 16949:2009 1st Edition
released in 1999, was based on ISO 9001:1994. To emphasize continuous improvement in the supplier base,
the International Automotive Task Force later revised the ISO/TS 16949:1999 requirements to align with the
ISO 9001:2008 framework. The new ISO/TS 16949:2009 includes ISO 9001:2008, and successfully harmonizes
the supplier quality system requirements of the automakers of US, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Korea and
Malaysia. It details the fundamental, sector-specific quality systems requirements, which sustain continuous
improvement and emphasize defect prevention, while simultaneously reducing the magnitude of variation and
waste in the supply chain and encouraging improvement in customer satisfaction.

Key requirements of ISO/TS 16949:2009

ISO/TS 16949:2009 focuses on an organization's ability to realize its stated goals as well as achieve customer
satisfaction by delivering conforming parts on time to customer specification at acceptable cost. ISO/TS
16949:2009 concentrates on the effective linkages in the company's business plan, quality policy, quality
objectives and measures. The standard specifies how objectives can be achieved and deployed throughout the
organization.

What is New in ISO/TS 16949:2009?

Some of the key additional requirements include the need for:

 Focus on involvement of top management and linking the business plan to clearly defined measurable
quality objectives.
 Focus on Human Resource management, including processes for defining competency requirements,
providing training, and verifying the effectiveness of actions taken.
 Processes to motivate employees to reach quality objectives, attain continual improvement, and create
an environment to promote innovation.
 A process to measure the extent to which personnel are aware of the relevance and importance of their
activities and how they contribute to the achievement of quality objectives.
 Focus on product and process design.
 Development of suppliers using ISO/TS 16949:2009.
 Ensuring effective control of internal and external laboratories.
 A process for the measurement of customer satisfaction by conducting effective system, process and
product audits.
 Effective analysis of data to drive continual improvement.
Benefits associated with ISO/TS 16949:2009 include:
 Improved product and process quality
 Additional confidence for global sourcing
 Reassignment of supplier resources to quality improvement
 Ensures a global quality system approach in the supply chain for supplier/subcontractor development
 Reduction in variation
 Reduction in 2nd party system audits
 Common language to improve understanding of quality requirements
 Continuous improvement of business performance through ongoing certification audits
 Boosted staff morale through increased management efficiencies
 Bottom-line benefits through increased efficiency, reduced waste and better utilization of resources
 Improved product and process quality
 Single quality system registration to meet multiple customer quality requirements
 Incorporates the best lessons learned from the global automotive segment
 Formatted to allow easy conversion to ISO 9001:2008

Main Differences in the ISO/TS 16949:2009 Audit Process

 Requires re-audit in 3 years
 Demands addition of customer specific requirements to the ISO/TS 16949:2009 certification scope.
 QS 9000 accredited auditors and registrars are not acceptable.
 The audit report write-up will be more extensive.

Supplier Responsibility
It is crucial to adopt ISO/TS 16949-quality standard because:

 Suppliers are global in nature

 It is imperative that suppliers comprehend the importance & future implications of ISO/TS 16949
 51 registrars are sought in the current pilot program with IATF
 The technical norm has been endorsed by the automotive industry, worldwide

Why should you choose Omnex?

 We have pioneered the business process approach for quality systems implementation with more than
20,000 companies worldwide
 Maximum value added implementations Achieve maximum cost savings
 High return on investment
 Customized quality improvement software solutions
 Our methodology of implementing quality systems has been acclaimed worldwide for its superior quality,
cost savings, process fine-tuning, business improvement, and an unmatched set o value added tools
 We are represented at IATF, the committee that reviews and rewrites ISO/TS 16949
 We were involved in the writing of QS 9000, QOS, and SAC 9000
 Our principals have delivered seminars in ISO/TC 176 as well
 Conducted the first QS 9000 worldwide witness audit for RAB

Omnex Recommends that you

 Implement solid, continuous improvement systems based on ISO/TS 16949:2009 (Second Edition)
requirements
 Think and implement value-added business systems rather than compliance driven 

eminar Content
This one day seminar addresses the purpose of PPAP and a detailed examination of Production Part Approval
Process requirements. Focuses on determining if all customer engineering, design record, and specification
requirements are properly understood by the supplier, and that the production process has the potential to meet
these requirements during an actual production run at the quoted production rate.

This seminar is consistent with the DCX, Ford and GM manual PPAP, 4th edition.
Who Should Attend
Program managers; design, quality, and manufacturing engineers; those who have direct responsibility for
preparation, assembly or review of PPAP components or packages. Auditors and those responsible for
subcontractor PPAP documentation.

Prerequisites
A general knowledge of quality systems is required.

Seminar Materials
Seminar manual and workbook.

Seminar Goals
 Understand the requirements and timing impacts of the PPAP.
 Provide examples and lessons learned for use in the hands-on application needed for successful PPAP
submission.

Seminar Outline
 Overview and vital general information.
 Customer notification and submission requirements.
 Submission levels of evidence.
 Submission status.
 Record retention requirements.
 PPAP document requirements.