The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is how an automotive supplier shows its customer that it has understood every requirement of the design record and specifications, and that its production process makes conforming parts. The reference is the AIAG Production Part Approval Process manual, 4th edition (2006). A submission ends with the Part Submission Warrant (PSW), which the supplier signs and the customer approves, rejects or approves on an interim basis.
The manual defines 18 elements: design record, engineering change documents, customer engineering approval, design FMEA, process flow diagrams, process FMEA, control plan, measurement system analysis studies, dimensional results, material and performance test results, initial process studies, qualified laboratory documentation, the Appearance Approval Report (AAR), sample product, master sample, checking aids, records of compliance with customer-specific requirements, and the PSW. Bulk materials add the bulk material checklist.
The submission level, 1 to 5, decides which elements go to the customer and which stay on file. Level 1 sends only the warrant, plus the AAR for appearance items. Level 3, the usual default, sends the warrant with most of the supporting data. At Level 5 everything is kept on file for review at the supplier's site.
Six problems supplier quality teams describe in their own words, and what changes when the package is built from linked records.
One workspace per submission, from the element plan to the customer's decision.
Step 1 · Create
Choose the part, the customer and the reasons for submission. The level comes from the customer profile, and a preview shows which elements are submitted or retained. Elements that don't apply are marked with the reason, for example "not an appearance item".
Step 2 · Evidence
The DFMEA, process flow, PFMEA and Control Plan elements link to their released revisions. Other elements take files, records or a confirmation. Each element can have an owner and a due date, and open elements show up in the owner's inbox.
Step 3 · Results
Generate the dimensional result rows from the register and mark one measured part as the master sample. Material and performance tests record actual values and the laboratory. A blanket "OK" or "conforms" is flagged as an error.
Step 4 · Studies
Add initial process studies for special characteristics, or import them from the shop floor for the significant run. The gauges come from the Control Plan rows, each shown with its MSA result.
Step 5 · Warrant
Record the significant production run: quantity, hours, the seven production conditions and every Control Plan check. The PSW fills in from the part, revision, plant, customer and run data. It is then e-signed, with the signer re-entering their password.
Step 6 · Check and submit
36 PPAP rules check the package. Open errors block "Ready to submit". Submitting freezes a snapshot of exactly what was sent. A Level 1 package for a self-certifying customer is approved on submission.
Step 7 · Decision
The customer's reviewer decides element by element, then approves the warrant, rejects it or grants interim approval. The package status follows the warrant. A rejection or interim approval leads to a resubmission linked to the original.
Each capability is tied to a decision your team is already trying to make.
Design records, change documents, DFMEA, process flow, PFMEA, Control Plan, MSA, dimensional results, material and performance tests, capability studies and the rest — the DFMEA, process flow, PFMEA and Control Plan elements hold their released revisions, and the rest resolve against the live part, register, gauges, results and samples, each with its provenance.
Every incomplete element says exactly what is absent, the rule it fails and the link to fix it. The week before submission stops being an archaeology project across shared drives.
Levels 1 to 5 with the standard retain / submit matrix, plus customer-specific matrices for the OEMs that ask for more. Each element is marked submit or retain for this customer at this level, and only submitted elements block the package.
Dimensional results are judged OK or not OK against the limits in the characteristic register — never against a retyped spec. Capability for special characteristics can be pulled from the shop floor, and a changed spec flags the results measured against the old one.
The Part Submission Warrant is pre-filled from part, revision and plant master data, then signed with an e-signature. Print the full package, or hand over a manifest of every revision it was built from.
The customer's reviewer decides element by element and signs the PSW through the Supplier Portal. Interim approvals carry their conditions and expiry date, with reminders before they lapse.
An engineering or process change is evaluated for whether it requires resubmission, so a PPAP is never invalidated quietly. Significant production runs are recorded with their quantity, hours, production conditions and every Control Plan check performed.
The standard level matrix comes from Table 4.2 of the AIAG PPAP manual, 4th edition. S means submit to the customer and keep a copy. R means keep it on file, available on request. * means keep it on file and submit it on request. The design record has two rows: proprietary details and all other details.
| Elements | L1 | L2 | L3 | L4 | L5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part Submission Warrant, bulk material checklist | L1S | L2S | L3S | L4S | L5R |
| Appearance Approval Report | L1S | L2S | L3S | L4* | L5R |
| Design record (all other details), engineering change documents, dimensional results, material and performance test results, laboratory documentation, sample product | L1R | L2S | L3S | L4* | L5R |
| Customer engineering approval, DFMEA, process flow diagrams, PFMEA, control plan, MSA studies, initial process studies, customer-specific requirement records | L1R | L2R | L3S | L4* | L5R |
| Design record (proprietary details), master sample, checking aids | L1R | L2R | L3R | L4* | L5R |
Elements link to the live records. Nothing is copied into a binder.
The process flow element holds the released Process Flow Diagram revision, and the master samples come from the part's sample records.
The DFMEA and PFMEA elements hold their released revisions. FMEA traceability shows characteristics that are still missing PPAP evidence.
The Control Plan element supplies the gauges for MSA and the checks for the significant run. A Control Plan in a PPAP being prepared is flagged when a required customer approval is missing.
Initial process studies for special characteristics can be imported from shop-floor SPC data for the significant run period.
Customer reviewers decide on elements and the warrant through the portal. Sub-tier suppliers add evidence to the PPAPs you request from them.
APQP deliverables and gates read the PPAP submission's status and completeness live.
Create and edit submissions, sign the PSW, submit the package, record the customer's decision, manage interim approvals and evaluate changes.
Create and edit submissions, own elements and their evidence, and evaluate whether a change needs a resubmission.
Evaluate whether an engineering change needs customer notification or a resubmission.
Can sign the Part Submission Warrant for the organisation.
Accept or reject each element and decide on the warrant through the Supplier Portal, on packages shared with them for approval.
Add evidence and files to the elements of an incoming PPAP through a Supplier Portal task.
| Zometric PPAP vs a folder of files | Folder of files and spreadsheets | Zometric PPAP |
|---|---|---|
| Element evidence | Copies gathered into a folder or binder | Each element linked to the live record that proves it |
| Document revisions | No way to tell whether a copy is still current | Released revisions only; a newer release is flagged |
| Submission level | Looked up in the manual for each package | Level matrix sets submit or retain per element, with customer-specific matrices |
| Dimensional results | Specs retyped into the results sheet | OK or NOT OK calculated from the register limits; spec changes flagged |
| Gaps | Often found by the customer | 36 PPAP rules check the package; open errors block submission |
| Warrant | Filled in by hand and signed on paper | Filled in from master data and e-signed |
| Customer decision | Email and a scanned warrant | Element-by-element review and warrant decision through the Supplier Portal |
| Record retention | Folders can be deleted or overwritten | Retention date calculated; the package cannot be deleted before it |
An index page followed by every applicable form: PSW, dimensional, material and performance results, and the AAR, ready to print or save as PDF.
A JSON manifest of every element, linked revision, PSW field, result and decision, with a SHA-256 checksum so the customer can verify what was sent.
The PSW, the element list and the dimensional results of a submission, downloaded as one Excel workbook.
Submissions, elements, evidence, the PSW, results, studies, interim approvals, level matrices, significant runs and change evaluations. Signing and customer decisions require the signer's password.
Zometric's modules share a single data backbone — adopting more of them compounds the signal-to-noise advantage.
Straight answers to the questions teams ask before a demo.
PPAP stands for Production Part Approval Process. It is the package an automotive supplier sends to show its customer that it meets every design and specification requirement, and that its production process makes conforming parts. The reference is the AIAG PPAP manual, 4th edition. The package ends with the Part Submission Warrant (PSW), which the customer approves, rejects or approves on an interim basis.
Design record, engineering change documents, customer engineering approval, design FMEA, process flow diagrams, process FMEA, control plan, MSA studies, dimensional results, material and performance test results, initial process studies, qualified laboratory documentation, Appearance Approval Report, sample product, master sample, checking aids, records of compliance with customer-specific requirements, and the Part Submission Warrant. Bulk materials also need the bulk material checklist.
The level decides what is sent to the customer and what stays on file. Level 1 sends only the warrant, plus the AAR for appearance items. Level 2 adds the design record, change documents, dimensional and test results, laboratory documentation and sample product. Level 3 also sends the customer engineering approval, FMEAs, process flow, control plan, MSA, initial process studies and customer-specific requirement records. At Level 4 only the warrant is sent and the rest is submitted on request. At Level 5 everything is kept for review at the supplier's site.
Yes. Zometric ships the standard AIAG Table 4.2 matrix read-only. You can copy it for a customer and change any element at any level to submit, retain, or retain and submit on request. A matrix is locked once a submission uses it, so packages never change after the fact.
Each element has a rule. For example, the PFMEA element must hold the current released revision, every gauge on the Control Plan needs an acceptable MSA result, and every dimensional characteristic needs a result for every stream and sample. Incomplete elements say what is missing and link to where to fix it, and open errors block "Ready to submit".
Yes. Through the Supplier Portal, the customer's reviewer accepts or rejects each element and then approves the warrant, rejects it or grants interim approval. The package status follows the warrant decision. A decision received on paper can also be recorded internally with an e-signature.
When an engineering change is applied to a part with an approved PPAP, Zometric raises a review flag on the latest approved submission. A change evaluation checks the PPAP notification and submission triggers, records any customer waiver, and can create the resubmission with the reasons already filled in.
Yes. A submission can be outgoing to your customer or incoming from your supplier. For an incoming PPAP, the supplier gets a Supplier Portal task and adds evidence and files to each element. You then review the package in the same workspace.
A 30-minute discovery call. A 2–3 week pilot on real factory data. Then scale at your pace.
