Product lifecycle management software to automate product development, launch process in compliance with industry standards
Troy, MI April 28, 2004 Freudenberg SAS, a leading global supplier of engine oil seals in the automotive industry, announced at the fourth annual AUTOe Conference in Troy, Mich., that it has selected Aras APQP Plus to automate its product development and launch processes in adherence with the automotive industry's Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process for program management.
The implementation follows the successful deployment of Aras Corp.'s APQP Plus at Freudenberg-NOK in the United States.
With Aras APQP Plus, Freudenberg SAS said it has mapped its existing product development process to the five-phase APQP process to comply with the ISO/TS 16949:2002 quality standard while maintaining competitive practices. Aras APQP Plus automatically tracks the status of APQP deliverables within the context of a full-featured product lifecycle management (PLM) solution, providing real-time status based on rollups of ongoing activities, information and processes.
"We needed an enterprise solution that would help us manage our development process more effectively and provide APQP status as a result of the business we conduct, as opposed to a separate reporting system that we had to maintain," said Jean-Michel Boujon, Quality, Health and Safety environment manager, Freudenberg SAS. "Aras APQP Plus helps us improve our business performance by controlling costs, quality, and schedules across our entire portfolio of programs while satisfying each customer's specific APQP requirements."
Aras explained that APQP Plus enables Freudenberg SAS to extend application templates to capture and measure critical business metrics such as material expenses, direct labor costs and parts per million (PPM) quality metrics. As a result, Freudenberg SAS said it has enhanced dashboards and scorecards to measure prototype material costing, time tracking for personnel, and production pilot and launch PPM results.
"With Aras APQP Plus in addition to project milestone deadlines, we define our quality and economic goals and closely track each project's progress," said Walid Hamza, project manager, Freudenberg SAS. "Aras delivers value to our business while fulfilling the APQP requirements to our customers."
Aras APQP Plus also brings consistency to Freudenberg's various product development groups and provides executive-level project visibility. According to Hamza, Freudenberg SAS will improve the measurement of program success, enhance product quality, increase communication with customers and suppliers, and meet the ever-increasing demands for product cost reductions.
