Production part approval process

Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is used in the automotive supply chain for establishing confidence in component suppliers and their production processes. Actual measurements are taken of the parts produced and are used to complete the various test sheets of PPAP:

"....all customer engineering design record and specification requirements are properly understood by the supplier and that the process has the potential to produce product consistently meeting these requirements during an actual production run at the quoted production rate." Version 4 March 1st 2006

Although individual manufacturers have their own particular requirements, the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) has developed a common PPAP standard as part of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) – and encouraging the use of common terminology and standard forms to document project status.

The PPAP process is designed to demonstrate that the component supplier has developed their design and production process to meet the client's requirements, minimizing the risk of failure by effective use of APQP. Requests for part approval must therefore be supported in official PPAP format and with documented results when needed

The purpose of any Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is

The result of this process is a series of documents gathered in one specific location (a binder or electronically) called the "PPAP Package". The PPAP package is a series of documents which need a formal certification/sign-off by the supplier and approval/sign-off by the customer. The form that summarizes this package is called PSW (Part Submission Warrant). The signature in the supplier certification area of the PSW indicates that the supplier-responsible person (usually the Quality Engineer or Quality Manager) has reviewed this package and that the customer-responsible person (usually a Customer Quality Engineer or Customer Quality Manager) has not identified any issues that would prevent its approbation.

The documentation on the PPAP package is closely related to the advanced product quality planning process used during the design and development of new vehicles and component systems to reduce the risk of unexpected failure due to errors in design and manufacture. The PPAP manual is published by the AIAG, and specifies generic requirements for obtaining PPAP approvals. Additional customer specific requirements may be imposed by particular clients (vehicle manufacturers) and incorporated in the purchasing contracts. Details of 'customer specific' requirements may be found on the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) website or supplier portals provided by the vehicle manufacturers. A new website, developed by customer-specific requirements, LLC, has been created to help solve problems associated with the distribution and accessibility of customer-specific requirements.

...
Wikipedia