At Thomas Engineering Company, we strive to offer our clients the highest quality parts in the industry, and so we take changing industry standards seriously. To keep up with ever-increasing international production quality standards, we utilize the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for all of our automotive stamped parts. This standardized process plays a vital part in our design and production qualities for metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN.

The PPAP is a system of verification used in the aerospace and automotive industry to help standardize production and finalized parts. The process is regulated each year by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). The general approval standards developed by the AIAG through the PPAP is a part of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP). This system helps customers and industry regulators communicate product needs with our engineers and operations management.

The PPAP covers a range of important quality control verifications and industry standards, including, but not limited to:

• Design, material, and engineering submissions
• Initial studies, studies during engineering, and finalized conclusions
• Design, laboratory, and compliance records and documentation
• Process, dimensional, and material plans and diagrams
• Engineering documents and approval
• Documented tests, warrants, calculations, and processed paperwork
• Failure Mode and Effect Analyses (FMEA) for design and processes
• Sample and master products

A more extensive overview and information resource for the PPAP can be found here. The forms and information for a full PPAP report are categorized and summarized as a Part Submission Warrant (PSW). Some of our customers have specific requirements for their parts after the PSW has been approved by the AIAG. To meet these requirements, we use the standards detailed on the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) website.

Though not every one of our PPAP reports is the same for our products, we work with our basic report requirements to help our customers establish their own requirements in line with the AIAG standards. For more information and metal stamping in Minneapolis, MN, contact us at Thomas Engineering Company.