AutoLean – Automotive Supplier Solution

More than ever, getting to market quickly is a top priority for automotive OEMs and suppliers. Gone are the days when five years or more were needed to take a car from the drawing board to the showroom floor. Today, the industry goal is 12 months. The move toward production outsourcing adds to the challenge, making the supply chain longer and more complex. Customer demands for higher quality, improved safety, more features and lower cost further strain the industry.

The Automotive Industry Action Group-which includes participation by Daimler Chrysler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors-developed Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) as a way to ensure that product quality is maintained and customer requirements are fully met. APQP is designed to standardize the manuals, procedures, reporting formats and technical terminology used in the industry. APQP guidelines are intended to assist automotive suppliers in developing a quality plan that supports the development of a product or service that meets customer requirements.

The automotive supplier solution runs on Aras Innovator applications and enables companies to maximize the business benefits of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) by delivering them in a comprehensive enterprise PLM application.

Adherence to the quality standard for the design/development, production, installation, and servicing of automotive related products (ISO / TS 16949:2002) is automated within a PLM framework. The automotive supplier solution extends the business value by providing:

• Standard Deliverables, including Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Control Plans, Process Flow Diagrams, Part Submission Warrants and more.
• Program status dashboards roll-up actual work items to provide executive visibility and drill down capabilities.
• Secure Web-based project collaboration workspace enables collaboration while global team members work simultaneously.
• Closed Loop Processes for Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action.

• APQP templates provide ability to map multiple different corporate program structures that satisfy unique customer requirements.
• Supports compliance with TS/16949 / QS9000 [Automotive] and ISO standards.
• Integrated New Product Development and Introduction, Risk Management, Supply Chain Management, Product Data Management, Change Workflows and other processes.

One of the key benefits of the automotive supplier solution is its ability to manage all functions of the APQP process, including program management, change management, and activity and task management from one interface.

An organization can launch a project and send out tasks and activities to the people involved. It also allows them to identify and monitor the critical path for the project. This improves the flow of information within an organization as operators can quickly access the information that relates to them rather than sorting through reams of data stored in several systems.

Advanced Product and Quality Planning (APQP) & ISO/TS 16949

The Automotive Industry Action Group which includes participation by leading automotive companies developed Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) guidelines as a way to ensure that product quality is maintained and customer requirements are fully met by suppliers. Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) is a structured method for defining and executing the actions necessary to ensure a product satisfies the customer.

APQP is designed to standardize the manuals, procedures, reporting formats and technical terminology used in the industry. APQP guidelines are intended to assist automotive suppliers in developing a quality plan that supports the development of a product or service that meets customer requirements.

To develop a consensus regarding international fundamental quality system requirements, the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) based on the APQP guideline developed the ISO/TS 16949 standards that was approved and published by International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The document is a common automotive quality system requirements catalog based on ISO 9001:2008, and specific requirements from the automotive sector. This document, coupled with customer-specific requirements defines quality system requirements for use in the automotive supply chain.

AutoLEAN Key Capabilities

Phase-1: Planning and Defining the Program

• Define cross functional team
• Create Project plan with task lists and timelines
• Capture customer requirements
• Document Business plans
• Capture Benchmark data -Process & Product
• Document Product and Process assumptions

AutoLEAN solution maximize the business benefits of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) by delivering them on a comprehensive enterprise application. Adherence to the quality standard for the design/development, production, installation, and servicing of automotive related products (TS 16949) is automated within an enterprise IT framework.

Phase -2: Product Design and Development

• Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
• Plan and Conduct Design verification at appropriate stages of design
• Finalization of Engineering drawings including CAD data, Engineering specifications, Material specifications, New equipment, tooling and facilities
• Finalization of any new inspection, measuring and test equipment device
• Team Feasibility statement

AutoLEAN extends the business value by providing:

• Standard Deliverables, including Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Control Plans, Process Flow Diagrams (PFW), Part Submission Warrants (PSW) and more.
• Program status dashboards roll-up actual work items to provide executive visibility and drill down capabilities.
• Secure Web-based project collaboration workspace enables collaboration while global team members work simultaneously.
• Closed Loop Processes for Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action.
• APQP templates provide ability to map multiple different corporate program structures that satisfy unique customer requirements.
• Supports compliance with TS/16949 standards
• Integrated New Product Development and Introduction, Risk Management, Supply Chain Management, Product Data Management, Change Workflows and other processes.

Phase -3: Process Design and Development

• Customer packaging and labelling standards
• Review of the current Quality Management System to ensure its suitability for the
  prospective product and associated processes
• Finalization of the process flow chart
• Floor plan layout with an emphasis on minimizing material Travel
• Completion of the Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Completion of pre-launch control plan
• Measurement systems analysis plan to encompass all of the inspection measuring
  and test equipment Designated on the control plan
• Process Monitoring and Operator Instructions
• Preventative maintenance

The goal of APQP is to facilitate communication between all persons and activities involved in a program and ensure that all required steps are completed on time, with a high quality-of-event, at acceptable cost and quality levels.

One of the key benefits of the AutoLEAN solution is its ability to manage all functions of the APQP process, including program management, change management, and activity and task management from one interface.

Phase -4: Product and Process Validation

• Production trial run as stipulated in the Control Plan
• Production Part Approval
• Production Validation Testing
• Packaging Evaluation
• Production Control Plan
• Quality Planning Sign-off
• PSW

AutoLEAN has Role based, Team based, Project based and Item based inbuilt security. It allows controlling the visibility and modification access to predefined groups, roles and project teams. With powerful access control, every customer’s data could be maintain confidential to project team only.

Phase -5: Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action

• Corrective and Preventive Action based on Output of Phase -4
• Variation Assessment based on control charts and statistical techniques
• Monitoring Customer Satisfaction
• Delivery & After Sale Service
• Update the PFMEA and control plans for Continuous Improvement

AutoLEAN is powered by world’s leading PLM Platform – ARAS Innovator. ARAS is most advanced platform with model based SOA Architecture. It enables AutoLEAN to easily integrate with SAP or and other ERP system. Using ERP system, Released data could be easily transferred to ERP for production.