What is APQP?
APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) is a central part of quality management and is intended to ensure that a product or service is realized in such a way that it meets the customer's quality requirements. It involves planning and monitoring the entire process from development to production.
What is the goal of APQP?
APQP aims to increase the quality of products and services to meet customer requirements. By identifying problems at an early stage, for example during the planning or development of a product, the cost of corrections can be reduced.
What are the 5 phases of the APQP-process?
The APQP process can be divided into 5 phases, each of which builds on the other. The knowledge gained from the previous phase (output) serves as the foundation (input) for the subsequent phase.
Planning In the first phase of the process, the framework conditions of the project are defined. Among other things, the objectives of the project as well as the cost and time schedules are defined. It is ensured that the needs and requirements of the customers have been understood and can be served.
Product design and development In the second phase of the APQP process, the design of the product is developed. This involves planning manufacturing processes so that a design suitable for mass production can be developed. The second phase also includes prototype development and testing.
Process design and development In the third phase, production processes are developed and optimized so that the product can be manufactured efficiently and without defects. This also involves selecting the necessary materials, equipment and machinery.
Product and process validation Phase 4 of the APQP process is primarily concerned with testing and validating the production process. The purpose is to ensure that the manufactured products meet customer requirements.
Feedback and corrections The fifth phase is to ensure that customer requirements are met over the long term. Process controls are set up to ensure that the product meets quality requirements during series production.