PPAP and APQP Software for Automotive
Support PPAP and APQP from live records: control characteristics on versioned BOMs, AQL inspections, dimensional results, lot traceability, and 8-D CAPA.
PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) is the AIAG-governed package an automotive supplier submits to prove a part is built to print and the process can reproduce it at volume, while APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) is the five-phase framework that gets you there, from design inputs through control plans to production launch. They matter because no tier-1 or OEM will release a PO until your PPAP is approved, and a single mismatch between the control plan, the PFMEA, and the part you actually shipped can hold the entire launch. WorkCell supports PPAP and APQP by keeping the BOM, routing, control characteristics, inspection results, and lot genealogy that feed every PPAP element on the same live records your shop floor runs against.
Sound Familiar?
PPAP packages rebuilt by hand for every revision
Your quality engineer assembles the 18-element PPAP binder in Excel and PDF, then a customer drops an engineering change and the dimensional results, control plan, and PSW no longer agree with the print, so the resubmission takes another week of copy-paste.
Control plans that drift from the actual process
The PPAP control plan says SPC at operation 30 with a CpK target, but the router the operators follow was revised twice since submission, so the characteristics, gauges, and reaction plans your auditor reviews no longer match what the line is doing.
PFMEA and control plan disconnected from real defects
The PFMEA lists failure modes and the control plan lists controls, but when a real nonconformance hits the floor nobody links it back, so severity and occurrence rankings go stale and the next APQP gate review flags risks you already lived through.
Traceability gaps when a customer wants the sample lot
PPAP requires a significant production run with retained samples, but heat numbers sit in supplier cert PDFs, operator sign-offs live on paper travelers, and reconstructing which serials came from the approved lot turns every customer audit into a scavenger hunt.
Core Capabilities
Control characteristics on versioned BOMs and routings
Define key product and process characteristics directly on the multi-level versioned BOM and routing that production runs against. Control plan data, gauges, and reaction plans live on the same revision-controlled records, so the process sheet your operators follow and the control plan your customer approved never diverge.
AQL inspection templates and dimensional results
Build AQL inspection templates and multi-type inspections (incoming, in-process, final) that capture the dimensional and functional measurements feeding the PPAP dimensional results element, linked to the exact part revision and lot they were measured against.
Lot and serial traceability for the sample run
End-to-end lot and serial genealogy with QC hold states tracks the significant production run from receiving through ship, with material certs attached at the lot level, so the retained sample lot and its full genealogy are one query from PSW to mill cert.
NCR severity matrix and 8-D CAPA
Nonconformances open with a severity matrix and drive 8-D corrective actions with root cause, containment, and effectiveness verification, so the defects the floor actually sees flow back to inform PFMEA occurrence and detection rankings instead of stalling in a spreadsheet.
Engineering change control via versioning and effective dating
Engineering change control runs through BOM and routing versioning with effective dates, so when a customer-driven change triggers a PPAP resubmission, work orders lock to the correct baseline and the as-built record proves which revision produced each serial.
Demand-driven planning and release for the launch run
Demand-driven planning and release schedules the significant production run through the finite APS scheduler, a real constraint solver with proposal and what-if workflows, so the run that backs your PPAP submission is planned against real capacity, not a guess on a whiteboard.
By The Numbers
APQP is structured into five phases (plan, product design, process design, product and process validation, feedback and corrective action) as defined by the AIAG reference manual
AIAG APQP Reference Manual
A full Level 3 PPAP submission requires up to 18 standardized elements, from design records and PFMEA to the Part Submission Warrant
AIAG PPAP Reference Manual (4th Edition)
PPAP and APQP are core requirements of IATF 16949, the automotive quality management standard published by the IATF and built on ISO 9001
IATF / ISO 9001
Connected Modules
Quality
AQL inspection templates, the NCR severity matrix, and 8-D CAPA capture the dimensional results and corrective actions that feed PPAP elements and keep PFMEA rankings current.
Engineering
Multi-level versioned BOMs and routings carry the control characteristics and effective dating that define each PPAP baseline and drive change control on resubmission.
Purchasing
PO lifecycle, partial receipts, and supplier metrics carry the material certs and supplier quality evidence a sub-tier PPAP submission depends on.
Common Questions
What is PPAP?
PPAP, or Production Part Approval Process, is the AIAG-standardized package an automotive supplier submits to a customer to prove that a part meets the design record and that the production process can consistently reproduce it at the agreed rate. A full Level 3 submission can include up to 18 elements, from design records, PFMEA, and the control plan through dimensional results, material and performance test results, and the signed Part Submission Warrant (PSW).
What is APQP?
APQP, or Advanced Product Quality Planning, is the AIAG five-phase framework that takes a new automotive part from design inputs through production launch: planning, product design and development, process design and development, product and process validation, and feedback with corrective action. PPAP is effectively the deliverable produced at the validation phase of APQP.
What is the difference between PPAP and APQP?
APQP is the overall planning process that runs across the whole product lifecycle, while PPAP is the specific approval package submitted near the end of it to get a part released for production. Put simply, APQP is the journey and PPAP is the gate at the end that the customer signs off before issuing a production PO.
Who has to comply with PPAP and APQP?
Any supplier shipping production or service parts into the automotive supply chain, tier-1 suppliers to OEMs and their sub-tier suppliers, is typically required to run APQP and submit PPAP, because these are core requirements of IATF 16949. The customer specifies the required PPAP submission level (usually Level 3) and which of the 18 elements must be included.
How does WorkCell support PPAP submission?
WorkCell keeps the records that feed PPAP elements on the same live data your shop floor runs against: control characteristics on versioned BOMs and routings for the control plan, AQL inspection templates and dimensional results, lot and serial traceability for the significant production run, and the NCR and 8-D CAPA history that keeps PFMEA rankings honest. WorkCell does not issue your PPAP approval, it gives you the queryable, revision-locked evidence to assemble and defend the submission.
What triggers a PPAP resubmission?
A PPAP resubmission is generally required for an engineering change to the design record, a change in manufacturing process, tooling, or location, a change of sub-supplier for components, or a restart after a significant production lapse. WorkCell handles the engineering side through BOM and routing versioning with effective dating, so each resubmission locks work orders to the correct baseline and the as-built record proves which revision produced each part.
PPAP and APQP Software for Automotive
Assemble your next PPAP from live records, not a binder rebuild.