March 18, 2019 Industry Forum Blog Companies within the Aerospace industry have long since recognised that although they compete to gain market share, they also share common challenges. In the past they have created differing techniques and methods to try and achieve the same results. To address this, the aviation, space, and defence industry established the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) for the purpose of achieving significant improvements in quality, delivery, safety, and reductions in cost, throughout the value stream. This organization includes representation from companies in the Americas, Asia/Pacific, and Europe. One of the more tangible results of the group’s activities is the release of a number of industry recognised standards. AS9145 Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) / Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) was released by the IAQG in November 2016 to document the common approach to be used for the advanced quality planning for new product designs, new process designs, changes to existing designs and processes and also covering changes in sources of supply. This standard improves both the quality of the product and process design by defining an aerospace sector agreed 5 phase approach. This approach was taken from the automotive industry and is gaining traction as best practice across a number of manufacturing sectors. Focusing on the “advanced” element of APQP it is clear that it provides a planning tool which ensures a proactive approach for new product introduction. This results in a cleaner product introduction and a significant reduction in the amount of work being required to fire fight problems during early product launch. APQP as defined by AS9145 sequences the application of tools and techniques which support vertical product launch. In simple teams commit resources in advance to support problem free introduction of product instead of committing resources to fixing problems because the planning was not adequate. APQP defines the sequence that tools and techniques should be implemented in support of the goal of vertical product launch and the pursuit of zero defects. Industry Forum is pleased to announce the availability of a number of training courses in support of the techniques and methods suggested within the AS9145 standard. To find out more about AS9145 APQP/PPAP and how Industry Forum can support your journey of improvement see our relevant courses: AS9145 – APQP Essentials for Aerospace (1 Day) AS9145 – PPAP Essentials for Aerospace (1 Day) AS9145 APQP and PPAP Essentials (2 Days) AS9145 APQP and PPAP Practitioner (5 Days)
