What is PPAP, and why do automakers require it?
PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) is the standardized AIAG submission a supplier uses to prove it can make a part to spec at production volume and rate. Automakers require an approved PPAP before Start of Production (SOP) so a part is locked, repeatable, and traceable before it enters a vehicle.
PPAP stands for Production Part Approval Process. It is a package of documents and sample parts that a supplier submits to a customer to demonstrate that the production process consistently produces parts meeting all engineering and specification requirements at the agreed volume and cadence. It originated with the automotive industry and is governed by AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group) reference manuals.
What goes into a PPAP submission
A full PPAP can contain up to 18 elements, including the design records, engineering change documents, the PFMEA, the process flow diagram, the control plan, the Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), dimensional results, material and performance test results, an Initial Process Study (capability such as Cpk), the Part Submission Warrant (PSW), and sample parts. AIAG defines five submission levels that control how much of this is sent to the customer versus retained on file.
| Level | What is submitted | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | PSW only (and appearance approval where relevant) | Low-risk or catalog parts |
| Level 2 | PSW with product samples and limited supporting data | Lower-risk parts |
| Level 3 | PSW with samples and complete supporting data | Default for most new automotive parts |
| Level 4 | PSW plus other requirements defined by the customer | Customer-specified scope |
| Level 5 | PSW with samples and full data reviewed at the supplier site | High-risk or strategic parts |
How PPAP links to APQP and IATF 16949
PPAP is the approval gate at the end of APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning), the front-loaded planning method used to develop a part. APQP produces the artifacts (PFMEA, control plan, MSA, capability studies) that PPAP then bundles for sign-off. Both sit inside IATF 16949, the automotive quality management standard, which expects suppliers to plan with APQP and to obtain customer part approval through PPAP before shipping production parts. PSW sign-off marks the transition from development to series production.
Why a Tier-2 supplier must pass it before SOP, and how MPBxChange fits
In a multi-tier supply chain, a Tier-1 cannot run its own PPAP to the automaker until its sub-components are themselves approved, so the Tier-1 flows the PPAP requirement down to Tier-2 and Tier-3. An unapproved part cannot legitimately enter Start of Production. On MPBxChange, automotive specs can carry the required quality regime (such as IATF 16949 context and the expected PPAP level) as part of the spec-match, so buyers and suppliers agree on the documentation gate up front. Document exchange and milestone-escrow can then be tied to evidence of part approval rather than to a verbal claim.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A new or updated PPAP is generally required after design changes, engineering changes, a new or relocated tool, a process or sub-supplier change, or a long production gap, because any of these can change how the part is produced.
It started in automotive and is most strictly enforced there, but the same PPAP discipline has been adopted by other regulated and high-reliability industries that need to prove a production process before mass output.
APQP is the planning process that develops the part and creates the quality artifacts; PPAP is the submission that uses those artifacts to obtain formal customer approval to ship production parts.