APQP with Aras Enterprise Open Source PLM Software
How can you know with certainty that the CAD design you are working on will produce a reliable part? How can you ensure that innovative new products will satisfy customer requirements and launch on time? Companies all over the world are attempting to address these critical questions by designing in quality with a process known as Advanced Product Quality Planning, or APQP. In the past, managing APQP with a PLM software system has been a challenge. Now, Aras provides a single software solution that unifies APQP and PLM.
APQP and PLM
APQP is a widely used methodology for managing the new product development process to avoid product risk and ensure schedule timeliness. The technique was first developed by t he automotive industry to achieve quality across the global supply chain, and was formalized in the international quality standard QS 9000, now ISO/TS-16949. Today, APQP is a matter of compliance for many industries such as vehicle technology, aerospace & defense and medical devices, and the success of the approach has led to broad adoption in high tech and industrial products.
Two primary areas characterize APQP, phase-based new product program management and product risk management. The challenge of APQP has been managing all of the necessary product information during the process. Both ends of the supply chain must manage the complexity of the data required. OEMs struggle to gather and organize the information from suppliers for each new product and tier manufacturers grapple with preparing and maintaining the deliverables.
Due to the complicated data model requirements of APQP the conventional enterprise PLM software suites on the market have not provided functionality beyond basic project file check-in / check-out. To date most companies still fall back on spreadsheets, shared drives, and even paper documents to conduct the APQP process.
See also the Automotive Industry Action GRoup's web site for more background information www.aiag.org
Aras PLM Software for APQP
Aras Innovator is an enterprise PLM solution suite that includes comprehensive APQP functionality for an integrated approach to new product development. The Aras PLM software functionality spans the entire APQP processes:
• Plan and Define New Product Program
• Product Design and Development
• Process Design and Development
• Product and Process Validation
• Feedback, Assessment, and Corrective Action
Aras takes the context of APQP phase-based development with milestones and provides specific functionality for the standard APQP deliverables including Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Control Plans, Process Flow Diagrams, and more.
All of the different APQP items in Aras are under revision control with lifecycle status and have unique identifier numbers. The Web browser-based screens make using Aras easy and intuitive for all different types of users. Simultaneous online participation enables global collaboration while robust security restricts access to a ‘need-to-know’ basis.
APQP Program Management with Aras
An APQP dashboard displays the status of all new product development projects based on the progress of each product’s deliverables. The red-yellow-green traffic light indicators provide up to the minute visibility allowing managers to focus on the projects that require attention. Drilldown capabilities enable instant action when an issue is highlighted.
Each APQP new product project has a Gantt-style project collaboration workspace which allows team members to attach APQP deliverables directly to the project plan. The APQP project plans in Aras are all based on templates which include phases, milestones, activities, and deliverables.
APQP templates provide a consistent format for new product projects and make initiating new projects fast and easy. In addition, the template functionality provides the flexibility to designate different project structures for specific customers, product lines, manufacturing sites, or other unique requirements.
APQP Product Risk Management with Aras
The Aras product risk capabilities for APQP are truly unmatched. Failure mode and effects analysis for design (DFMEA), process (PFMEA), and system (SFMEA) are all part-based and associated with the bill of materials (BOM) for a complete representation of the product.
FMEAs are connected directly with the associated Process Flow Diagram and Control Plan so that changes to any of the documents propagate to the others for synchronization. Critical characteristics define the target and tolerance for each part, and risk priority numbers (RPN) flag potential product issues. Action item workflows with email alerts ensure closed-loop risk mitigation.
Aras includes an online APQP library of failure modes and effects organized by product family with probability of occurrence, detection, and prevention. The library provides a single repository for reliability testing issues, field failures, and customer problems. So, when the next generation of a product is developed past issues are included for design consideration.
Expanded APQP Capabilities
Each APQP document type can be saved as PDF, Excel, or printed out. APQP deliverable formatting can be easily tailored with Aras to satisfy specific customer requirements. Aras also provides single system, internationalization capabilities that support a wide variety of languages including Chinese, Japanese, German, Russian, and many more.
APQP deliverables can be individual documents of any file type or business items in the system such as a product’s Bill of Materials, drawings, or tooling designs. Everything in Aras can be managed using engineering change workflows for online control.
Aras also provides an extensive array of robust CAD integrations for all of the major MCAD and ECAD systems including CATIA, NX, PRO/E, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Inventor, PADS, OrCad, and others. Aras openly connects with ERP solutions and PLM and PDM systems to enable seamless information sharing to leverage previous investments.