PPAP and FAIR: Inspection reporting for automotive manufacturing

In the automotive industry, inspection reports are a vital stage of a manufacturer's quality control measures, helping to ensure the final product exactly matches the customer's specifications.

The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) has created the automotive Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) handbook - an industry standard outlining a clear framework for demonstrating that the customer's requirements have been met through the manufacturing process.

Often incorporating First Article Inspection Reports (FAIR), PPAP provides a comprehensive process for inspecting and verifying product characteristics against the required specifications, ensuring products are consistently manufactured to a high standard.

In this article, we explore why automotive manufacturers should adopt PPAP and FAIR, and what key steps are involved.

PPAP: An overview

The use of AIAG's Production Part Approval Process is specified in the automotive standard IATF-16949. As a risk-based approach to technical drawing, the process should be undertaken before full production begins to help prepare for manufacturing with detailed planning and risk analysis.

Throughout the process, designs, drawings and product samples are meticulously inspected to ensure all dimensions and characteristics align with those defined in the customer's specifications. So, when the product enters full production, every step has been taken to help ensure consistency and quality.

Ultimately, this inspection and approval process helps ensure consistent manufacturing; smoother, more effective collaboration between suppliers and their customers; and a clear, repeatable production process.

PPAP submissions

A PPAP should be submitted for new products, as well as existing ones where changes to either the product itself or the process have occurred. Additional PPAP reports can also be requested by the customer at any stage of the product's lifecycle.

The package submission brings together a collection of documents from across up to 18 different elements to evaluate risks in the manufacturing process. Not every submission will require all 18 elements - the number and range required will depend on the part's complexity and customer requirements.

18 PPAP elements:

1. Design documentation
2. Engineering change notice (ECN)
3. Customer engineering approval
4. Design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA)
5. Process flow diagram
6. Process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA)
7. The control plan
8. Measurement system analysis (MSA)
9. Dimensional layout results
10. Design verification plan and report (DVP&R)
11. Statistical process control
12. Qualified laboratory documentation
13. Appearance approval inspection (AAI)
14. Sample production parts
15. Master sample
16. Checking aids
17. Customer specific requirements
18. Part submission warrant form (PSW)

The package should be approved, with signatures, by both the customer and the supplier to provide documented evidence that their needs have been understood and met.

FAIR: An overview

While First Article Inspection Reports are not a regulatory requirement in the automotive industry, the inspections conducted to complete these reports do fulfill some requirements for the PPAP submission package, such as the appearance approval inspection. Additionally, if your company is ISO-9001 compliant, FAIR can help you meet the requirement to verify that the customer's needs have been met.

FAIR is a crucial part of a quality control plan. After completing the first production run, the manufacturer takes one sample product as the 'first article' and conducts a thorough inspection to verify that its characteristics align with those specified in the customer requirements.

The FAIR should document all the production processes, machinery, tooling and documentation used to manufacture the first article to provide a baseline measurement, helping to ensure process repeatability and quality consistency. Should the first article pass the inspection, all these elements must be used continuously to ensure those exact results are replicated throughout production.

How to complete a FAIR

Similarly to PPAP, FAIRs should be created for both new and existing products whenever something changes in the process or product specifications. They are applicable throughout the automotive supply chain, from assembly components to finished products.

To ensure thorough, accurate conclusions, every inspection should follow a step-by-step, efficient and repeatable process.

• Step one: Gather documentation

To prepare, collect all information relevant to your inspection, such as: digital product information; engineering drawings; datasets; specifications; material lists; work orders; manufacturing planning documents; and sourcing information.

• Step two: Create inspection plan

Before you can inspect your first article, you need to define and clarify what exact dimensions and characteristics you're checking for. This stage can include numbered balloon drawings pointing to individual dimensions and part requirements.

• Step three: Perform production run

Throughout your first production run, you need to thoroughly document the end-to-end process, and any machinery and tooling used. Once production is complete, select a part to act as your first article during the inspection.

• Step four: Inspect and test

Using this first article, inspect and test the part's physical and functional characteristics, comparing them to drawings, the purchase order, customer specifications and any other design documents.

• Step five: Complete the FAIR

Measuring each specification, thoroughly document your inspection results with objective evidence. You should include a non-conformance list, outlining which dimensions were met and which weren't.

All key, relevant details should be included in your report, such as:

• Part number
• Revision level
• Part description
• Drawing numbers
• Customer PO number
• Name and signature of person completing report
• Date
• Customer approval
• Material or process reviewed
• Functional test results
• Physical characteristics measured
• Certificate of conformance number

The advantages for automotive manufacturers

Overall, adhering to the PPAP and FAIR frameworks can deliver numerous benefits to manufacturers supplying parts and components to the automotive industry.

By undertaking the thorough and comprehensive checks to both the design and finished product, manufacturers can meticulously plan for everything required before and during production. As a result, PPAP and FAIR help evaluate and mitigate the risk of errors and consequent wastage, increasing the likelihood of production runs complying with customer specifications.

Crucially, PPAP and FAIR each help to ensure and verify the creation of products that exactly meet customer's requirements, with smooth, efficient and repeatable processes to consistently deliver high quality.

Additionally, these processes help to improve communication between customers, design and production, while helping to improve the supplier's competitive position in the market through enhanced manufacturing quality.

While PPAP and FAIR can often be complex, time-consuming processes, they can deliver a strong return on investment through increased quality, reduced wastage, and enhanced financial performance. The inspection processes can also be made more efficient and easier to manage by employing the right reporting tools.

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