Definition of PPAP
PPAP (pronounced pee-pap) is the acronym for production part approval process, a quality assurance procedure that was originated by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). PPAP is a rigorous set of standards, adhered to by both component suppliers and end-producers, designed to ensure that safety risks and other imperfections are eliminated from each part before its release.
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AIAG
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AIAG is a coalition of companies that are part the automobile supply chain. Its members include major American automobile producers, including Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, as well as a number of foreign producers that operate assembly plants in the United States. Also members of AIAG are producers of the hundreds of components that go into the assembly of cars and trucks.
History
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PPAP was the culmination of joint efforts by Chrysler, Ford and GM, working under the auspices of AIAG and the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC), to develop industry-wide standards that would apply to all their many suppliers. The first manual spelling out the multiple requirement of PPAP was published in 1993. PPAP is part of the auto industry's overall Advance Product Quality Planning initiative, step-by-step procedures designed to ensure production of an end-product that will satisfy consumers.
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Significance
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Virtually every manufacturer involved in the auto supply chain --- from the producers of tiny fuses and cabling to axles and transmission systems --- adheres to PPAP standards. However, other industries have either adopted these guidelines pretty much intact from the auto industry or have developed similar programs designed to improve the quality of their products.
Benefits
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In an article written for the American Society for Quality (successor to ASQC), authors Amy Millimen and Kim Niles cite some of the benefits that can be realized by strict adherence to PPAP standards. One of the most significant pluses is the establishment of manufacturing process functions that are "clearly planned, justified, validated, documented and communicated." Other benefits include quick resolution of new problems because of the rigorously documented product history, quality enhancements over the life cycle of the product and improved relations between companies and their suppliers.
Method
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PPAP specifies steps and standards for every phase of the planning and production process. PPAP documentation, which follows the product from inception to completion, contains at least 18 separate elements by the time production is completed. These include design records, engineering approvals (including approval of any changes made during the production phase), process-flow diagram, failure modes and effects analysis (in both design and process phases), measurement system analysis studies and all product test results.
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