APQP IAQG 9145: How Airbus subcontractors can achieve operational excellence
In the aerospace industry, where safety and reliability are absolute imperatives, operational excellence is not an option, but a necessity. Airbus subcontractors are faced with increasingly stringent quality requirements, notably those of APQP IAQG 9145. But how can these constraints be transformed into a real competitive advantage?
Our WhitePaper, "L'Aéro Excellence : L'APQP IAQG 9145 avec Skill FMEA Pro, le partenaire de confiance des sous-traitants Airbus", offers you a complete roadmap for mastering this essential methodology.
APQP IAQG 9145: an Airbus requirement for excellence
APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) is a proven project management methodology, standardized in the aerospace industry by the IAQG via the EN9145 standard. Airbus defines it as a structured approach, integrated with project management and supplier monitoring, aimed at ensuring that deliverables are completed at the right time and with the right maturity.
It is based on three fundamental pillars:
- The Multi-Functional Team (MFT): Essential collaboration from the outset of the project to anticipate and achieve objectives.
- The Project Plan: A detailed roadmap with milestones and deliverables for each phase.
- Early Warning System and Management Support: Continuous monitoring to identify risks and implement robust mitigation plans.
The benefits are tangible: a McKinsey study revealed that collaborative APQP projects have a 35% higher success rate. What's more, the rigorous application of APQP can reduce non-quality costs by an average of 30% on a project, according to AIAG. As Airbus points out: "APQP is a small investment, compared to overall program and project budgets, with a huge return if deployed accurately and efficiently: 'short term pain, long term gain'."
The limits of Excel: why traditional tools are no longer enough
While APQP is a structured method, its implementation on manual tools such as Excel is becoming increasingly obsolete in the face of the demands of the aerospace industry. The bottlenecks are numerous:
- Inconsistency and lack of centralization: Isolated and dispersed files lead to multiple versions and difficult traceability.
- Risk of human error: Handling "2,000-line tables" and manual calculations considerably increase the risk of error, with major consequences for quality. In fact, one study revealed that 73% of errors in FMEAs are due to the use of Excel.
- Difficulty of analysis and capitalization: The search for information is laborious, and the use of data for feedback is almost impossible.
APQP requires rigor and continuity that only a dedicated tool can guarantee.
Skill FMEA Pro: a concrete response to Airbus requirements
Faced with these challenges, major OEMs have identified the need for robust software solutions. Airbus has benchmarked and recommended Skill FMEA Pro for its DFMEA, PFMEA, Key Characteristics (KC), Control Plan and Process Flow Chart functionalities.
Skill FMEA Pro transforms project management and risk analysis through :
- APQP deliverable synchronization: Absolute document consistency, guaranteeing compliance and eliminating the risk of errors.- The power of capitalization: Create and enrich a database of "know-how" from previous FMEA analyses, reducing design and analysis time for future projects.
- Reverse FMEA and cross-functional audits: Validate the relevance of analyses in the field, and standardize design and manufacturing processes, for quality management that's as close to the field as possible.
Proof with facts: Customer testimonials
Feedback speaks for itself. Jérome Carval and François Seznec, project quality coordinators at Axon' Mechatronics, testify: "The unification of FMEA management under a single platform has reduced discrepancies and document errors, which represents significant progress." Bernard MORET, Methods Manager at SAFRAN, adds: "Using Generic FMEAs on Skill FMEA Pro has enabled us to cut the time needed to complete our FMEAs by a factor of three."
Become a trusted partner
APQP and FMEA are the foundations of an operational excellence strategy. By opting for a unified software solution like Skill FMEA Pro, you centralize your know-how, automate repetitive tasks and guarantee perfect traceability of your risk analyses. Skill FMEA Pro is a strategic partner, recommended by Airbus, to propel the efficiency of your processes beyond the standard.
