In industries where the margin for error is minimal — automotive, aerospace, defense, or industrial machinery — quality is non-negotiable. Every new product or modification requires rigor, traceability, and flawless coordination between design, processes, quality, and suppliers.
In this context, APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) is the standard that structures quality from initial concept to final delivery.
But putting it into practice is not always straightforward.
This article summarizes what APQP is, the real challenges companies face, and how the 3DEXPERIENCE platform makes it possible not only to comply with it, but to turn it into a true competitive advantage.
What is APQP and why does it matter more than ever today?
APQP is a preventive methodology that ensures a product meets technical and quality requirements before it reaches production.
Its goal is to avoid failures in later stages, reduce rework, and accelerate ramp-up without compromising quality.
APQP helps to:
- Detect risks from the design phase
- Prevent manufacturing issues before they occur
- Reduce the cost of poor quality
- Align criteria between OEMs and suppliers
- Ensure the product is ready from day one
In an environment where compliance with standards such as IATF 16949 (automotive) or AS9145 (aerospace) is required, this methodology is more relevant than ever.
The real challenges that make APQP compliance difficult
Although APQP is well defined, its execution in companies often faces obstacles such as:
1. Siloed teams and disconnected systems
Design, processes, purchasing, quality, and suppliers work in separate environments.
As a result:
- Duplicated information
- Changes that do not reach stakeholders in time
- Risks that no one sees until it is too late
2. Fragmented documentation and lack of traceability
Excel sheets, versions in folders, scattered emails…
This leads to:
- Manual errors
- Inconsistencies
- Loss of control over APQP deliverables
3. Inconsistent quality processes
Each plant or line operates differently:
- Non-homogeneous FMEAs
- PPAPs with different criteria
- Non-standardized control plans
4. Lack of visibility into risks and changes
Companies struggle to answer key questions:
- What impact does this change have on the design?
- Which process does it affect?
- What needs to be revalidated?
Without an integrated platform, answers are often slow or incomplete.
5. Limited collaboration with suppliers
Many suppliers operate outside the OEM’s digital ecosystem.
This causes:
- PPAP delays
- Inconsistent evidence
- Compliance issues
6. Slow and manual validations
Tests, DVPs, evidence, and CAPAs do not flow across teams.
This slows down:
- Approvals
- Ramp-up
- Deliveries
7. Poor reuse of knowledge
FMEAs, control plans, or lessons learned are not reused.
Each new project starts from scratch, losing efficiency and repeating mistakes.
How 3DEXPERIENCE transforms APQP execution
Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform integrates design, processes, quality, and suppliers into a single environment where everyone works with the same information, in real time.
Its APQP approach is structured into five fully connected phases:
Phase 1. Planning
It enables you to:
- Create a complete Quality Plan
- Define deliverables, risks, timelines, and responsibilities
- Coordinate OEMs and suppliers from the start
- Align design, manufacturing, and quality activities
Result: less improvisation and fewer delays
Phase 2. Product Design (D-FMEA)
With CATIA and SIMULIA fully integrated:
- Critical characteristics are captured directly from the 3D model
- D-FMEAs are automatically updated with any change
- Risks are assessed using real data, not assumptions
- Manufacturability is ensured from the very beginning
Result: more robust designs with fewer late changes.
Phase 3. Process Design (P-FMEA and Control Plan)
Thanks to DELMIA:
- The process is simulated before implementation
- Risks related to operations, resources, or layout are identified
- The Control Plan is generated from the actual process
- Tools such as SPC and ANOVA enable stability validation
Result: more stable processes that are ready to scale.
Phase 4. Product and Process Validation (PPAP)
The platform connects:
- D-FMEA
- P-FMEA
- Control Plans
- DVPs
- PPAP evidence
All with automatic traceability and seamless communication with suppliers.
Result: faster, more consistent, and auditable PPAP.
Phase 5. Feedback and Continuous Improvement
Once the product is launched:
- Real quality data is collected
- RCA and CAPA activities are carried out
- FMEAs and plans are updated in a structured way
- Knowledge is reused in new projects
Result: each project improves on the previous one.
Data-driven APQP: a real competitive advantage
Dassault Systèmes’ approach turns APQP into a process that is:
- Collaborative
- Data-driven
- Free of duplication
- Fully traceable
- Integrated from design through production
The benefits are clear:
- Lower risk
- Lower cost of poor quality
- Faster industrialization
- Greater ramp-up stability
- Better relationships with OEMs
One company cited by Dassault Systèmes already estimates:
- 25% less design time
- 20% shorter time-to-market
Conclusion
APQP should not be seen as a documentary burden, but as a tool for efficiency and competitiveness.
With a single environment like 3DEXPERIENCE, companies leave behind silos and Excel files to move toward a continuous digital flow that reduces risks, accelerates programs, and improves quality from day one.
In the following video, Eudald Carrera from Dassault Systèmes explains it with a practical example:
If your company wants to move toward a solid, agile, and surprise-free APQP, CADTECH can support you with the experience and rigor the industry demands.
CADTECH Communications Department
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