FactoryQA blog

Supplier quality management software compared (2026)

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:46:14 GMT

Supplier quality teams need more than a document library: an approved supplier list that stays current, SCARs that get answered, scorecards that change buying decisions, certificates that never lapse unnoticed, and PPAP without email attachments. This table compares seven platforms on exactly those jobs, using only each vendor's public website (checked October 25, 2026).

The table is wide: scroll sideways to see every product.

Side by side

	FactoryQA	QT9 QMS	1factory	Octave Reliance (formerly ETQ Reliance)	ComplianceQuest	Intellect QMS	MasterControl
Built for	Manufacturers, including small and mid-size shops and supplier quality teams	Small to mid-market manufacturers in medical device, pharma, aerospace, food and beverage (QT9's words)	Aerospace, medical device, automotive, industrial and semiconductor manufacturers	Enterprise manufacturers across life sciences, automotive, aerospace, electronics and more; Reliance Go for small and medium businesses	Manufacturing and life sciences companies; built on Salesforce	Mid-market and enterprise manufacturing and life sciences companies	Life sciences companies (MasterControl's words: "purpose-built for life sciences")
Published pricing	Yes: Free $0, Basic $40 and Pro $60 per standard user per month; read-only seats $5	No: custom quote, annual licensing, concurrent licenses	Yes: Quality Control $75 per QC user per month (5 minimum), QMS $20 per QMS user per month (10 minimum), $20 per connected supplier per month (5 minimum); one-year minimum, billed annually	No (Reliance Go: "licensing-only pricing")	No: customized quote	Starting prices published: Core from $26k, Operational Control from $32k, Enterprise Transformation from $47k (billing period not stated); onboarding, migration and validation sold as services	No: named-user licensing, contact sales
Free plan or trial	Free plan (one administrator), and every new account gets 14 days of Pro	Free trial, no credit card (length not stated)	Not listed (demo offered)	Not listed on their website	Not listed on their website	Not listed on their website	Not listed on their website
Supplier portal	Yes: suppliers answer without an account	Yes: Supplier Web Portal	Yes: for FAI, PPAP and SCAR	Suppliers can be included in workflows as external participants	Yes: a personalized portal for each supplier	Not listed on their website	Not listed on their website
SCARs	Yes: sent from the issue, answered in the portal, 30-day reminders	Corrective actions assigned through the Supplier Web Portal	Yes: 8D SCARs through the portal	Yes	Yes	Not listed by name	Yes
Scorecards	Yes: weighted scorecards with a recommended status	Supplier evaluations ("qualify, audit, and score suppliers")	Yes: dashboards and scorecards	Yes: up to five dimensions	Yes, with an approved supplier list	Supplier performance scoring	Yes: Supplier Scorecard
Certificate tracking	Yes: expiry tracked, supplier emailed before it lapses, new certificate uploaded in the portal	Not listed on their website	Shipment certificate management; certification expiry tracking not listed	Certification management and automated requalification (October 2026 release)	Certificates of analysis and compliance exchanged with suppliers	Supplier certifications monitored	Not listed on their website
PPAP	Yes: 18 AIAG elements preset per level, supplier PPAP portal	Not listed on their website	Yes, through the supplier portal	Yes	Yes	Yes (app)	Not listed on their website
AI	In every module; a person approves every change; can be turned off completely	AI Help Center, with no access to your records	None: 1factory says it uses a deterministic recognition engine instead of AI models	Form Field Advisor, Complaint and Feedback Advisor, Complaint Intelligence, natural language search	CQ.AI agents on Salesforce Agentforce; users accept AI content	Plain-language QMS chat, AI root cause analysis, quiz generation, PFMEA drafts	AI assistants for documentation, event summaries and exam generation (ISO 42001 certified)

How to read it

Published pricing and a free plan let a small team start on real suppliers without a sales cycle. Only FactoryQA and 1factory publish per-user prices; Intellect publishes starting prices.
A supplier portal without logins gets SCARs and certificates answered faster. Check whether suppliers need accounts and whether portal access costs extra.
PPAP and APQP in the same system matter if you buy machined, cast or fabricated parts to drawings.
Enterprise platforms such as Octave Reliance, ComplianceQuest and MasterControl suit large, often regulated organizations with IT and implementation teams.

Detailed comparisons

FactoryQA's Supplier Quality module covers the approved supplier list, onboarding packages, evaluations, weighted scorecards, certificate expiry, SCARs and a supplier PPAP portal, all answered without a supplier login. Our Supplier Quality Services can help you set it up.

Sources

Every statement about other products comes from the vendor's own website or press releases, checked on October 25, 2026. Where we could not find something publicly, we say so rather than guess. Products change: if anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

Written by FactoryQA. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

FactoryQA vs Intellect QMS: pricing and features | FactoryQA

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:46:13 GMT

Intellect, from Interneer Inc. in Los Angeles, sells Intellect QMS AI on its own no-code platform for manufacturing and life sciences, aimed at mid-market and enterprise companies.

FactoryQA is a cloud eQMS for manufacturers: thirteen connected modules, a supplier portal, published prices and a free plan. Here is how the two compare, using only public information from each vendor's website (checked October 25, 2026).

At a glance

	FactoryQA	Intellect QMS
Built for	Manufacturers, including small and mid-size shops and supplier quality teams	Mid-market and enterprise manufacturing and life sciences companies
Published pricing	Yes: Free $0, Basic $40 and Pro $60 per standard user per month; read-only seats $5	Starting prices published: Core from $26k, Operational Control from $32k, Enterprise Transformation from $47k (billing period not stated); onboarding, migration and validation sold as services
Free plan or trial	Free plan (one administrator), and every new account gets 14 days of Pro	Not listed on their website
Supplier portal	Yes: suppliers answer without an account	Not listed on their website
SCARs	Yes: sent from the issue, answered in the portal, 30-day reminders	Not listed by name
Supplier scorecards	Yes: weighted scorecards with a recommended status	Supplier performance scoring
Supplier certificate tracking	Yes: expiry tracked, supplier emailed before it lapses, new certificate uploaded in the portal	Supplier certifications monitored
PPAP	Yes: 18 AIAG elements preset per level, supplier PPAP portal	Yes (app)
APQP, PFMEA, control plans	Yes: linked from the ballooned drawing	Yes: APQP and FMEA apps
Inspection, SPC, AS9102 first article	Yes: real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles	Quality inspections and first article tracking; SPC not listed
Calibration	Yes, with Gage R&R	Yes (calibration and maintenance app)
Preventive maintenance	Yes	Yes (calibration and maintenance app)
Named ERP connections	Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac, Carbon	SAP, Oracle, Salesforce; pre-built NetSuite and DocuSign connectors
AI	In every module; a person approves every change; can be turned off completely	Plain-language QMS chat, AI root cause analysis, quiz generation, PFMEA drafts

Where FactoryQA stands out

Per-user pricing from $0 a month, against starting prices from $26k.
A supplier portal suppliers answer without an account, with SCARs answered in it.
Real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles built in.
Ready-made connectors for Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac and Carbon.

When Intellect QMS may fit better

You want a no-code platform to build your own quality apps.

Try it on your own process

The fastest way to compare is with your own records. Start free, use 14 days of Pro, or book a demo with our quality team.

Sources

Written by FactoryQA. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

FactoryQA vs ComplianceQuest: features and pricing

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:46:12 GMT

ComplianceQuest offers quality, product lifecycle, supplier and safety suites built natively on Salesforce, for manufacturing and life sciences companies.

At a glance

	FactoryQA	ComplianceQuest
Built for	Manufacturers, including small and mid-size shops and supplier quality teams	Manufacturing and life sciences companies; built on Salesforce
Published pricing	Yes: Free $0, Basic $40 and Pro $60 per standard user per month; read-only seats $5	No: customized quote
Free plan or trial	Free plan (one administrator), and every new account gets 14 days of Pro	Not listed on their website
Supplier portal	Yes: suppliers answer without an account	Yes: a personalized portal for each supplier
SCARs	Yes: sent from the issue, answered in the portal, 30-day reminders	Yes
Supplier scorecards	Yes: weighted scorecards with a recommended status	Yes, with an approved supplier list
Supplier certificate tracking	Yes: expiry tracked, supplier emailed before it lapses, new certificate uploaded in the portal	Certificates of analysis and compliance exchanged with suppliers
PPAP	Yes: 18 AIAG elements preset per level, supplier PPAP portal	Yes
APQP, PFMEA, control plans	Yes: linked from the ballooned drawing	Yes: five APQP phases, PFMEA, control plans
Inspection, SPC, AS9102 first article	Yes: real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles	Inspection and SPC (Cp, Cpk); AS9102 named as a supported standard
Calibration	Yes, with Gage R&R	Yes
Preventive maintenance	Yes	Yes
Named ERP connections	Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac, Carbon	SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics; Windchill, Teamcenter, Arena PLM
AI	In every module; a person approves every change; can be turned off completely	CQ.AI agents on Salesforce Agentforce; users accept AI content

Where FactoryQA stands out

Published prices and a free plan, against a custom quote.
Start free the same day; ComplianceQuest says key modules can go live in as little as 8 to 12 weeks.
Ready-made connectors for mid-market and job-shop ERPs.
No Salesforce platform required.

When ComplianceQuest may fit better

Your company already runs on Salesforce.
You want product lifecycle, EHS and supplier relationship management in one enterprise suite.

Try it on your own process

The fastest way to compare is with your own records. Start free, use 14 days of Pro, or book a demo with our quality team.

Sources

Written by FactoryQA. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

FactoryQA vs MasterControl for manufacturers | FactoryQA

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:46:11 GMT

MasterControl describes its quality software as purpose-built for life sciences and reports more than 1,100 customers, from startups to global enterprises. Its products are Quality Excellence, Manufacturing Excellence and Asset Excellence.

At a glance

	FactoryQA	MasterControl
Built for	Manufacturers, including small and mid-size shops and supplier quality teams	Life sciences companies (MasterControl's words: "purpose-built for life sciences")
Published pricing	Yes: Free $0, Basic $40 and Pro $60 per standard user per month; read-only seats $5	No: named-user licensing, contact sales
Free plan or trial	Free plan (one administrator), and every new account gets 14 days of Pro	Not listed on their website
Supplier portal	Yes: suppliers answer without an account	Not listed on their website
SCARs	Yes: sent from the issue, answered in the portal, 30-day reminders	Yes
Supplier scorecards	Yes: weighted scorecards with a recommended status	Yes: Supplier Scorecard
Supplier certificate tracking	Yes: expiry tracked, supplier emailed before it lapses, new certificate uploaded in the portal	Not listed on their website
PPAP	Yes: 18 AIAG elements preset per level, supplier PPAP portal	Not listed on their website
APQP, PFMEA, control plans	Yes: linked from the ballooned drawing	Not listed on their website
Inspection, SPC, AS9102 first article	Yes: real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles	Inbound inspection in Manufacturing Excellence; SPC and AS9102 not listed
Calibration	Yes, with Gage R&R	Yes, in Asset Excellence
Preventive maintenance	Yes	Yes, in Asset Excellence
Named ERP connections	Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac, Carbon	API toolkit and MuleSoft; SAP page for Manufacturing Excellence
AI	In every module; a person approves every change; can be turned off completely	AI assistants for documentation, event summaries and exam generation (ISO 42001 certified)

Where FactoryQA stands out

Built for discrete manufacturing: PPAP, APQP, PFMEA, control plans, SPC and AS9102, none of which MasterControl lists.
A supplier portal and supplier certificate tracking.
Readiness scoring for AS9100D and IATF 16949 as well as ISO 9001 and ISO 13485.
Published prices and a free plan.

When MasterControl may fit better

You are an FDA-regulated life sciences company that needs 21 CFR Part 11 and Part 820 support with validation tools included.
You need batch and manufacturing execution for life sciences.

Try it on your own process

The fastest way to compare is with your own records. Start free, use 14 days of Pro, or book a demo with our quality team.

Sources

Written by FactoryQA. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

FactoryQA vs ETQ Reliance (now Octave Reliance) | FactoryQA

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:46:10 GMT

ETQ Reliance is now Octave Reliance. Octave, which includes the former ETQ business, was spun off from Hexagon and listed on Nasdaq in May 2026, and etq.com now redirects to octave.com. Reliance is an enterprise eQMS with more than 40 applications; Reliance Go is a self-service edition for small and medium businesses.

At a glance

	FactoryQA	Octave Reliance (formerly ETQ Reliance)
Built for	Manufacturers, including small and mid-size shops and supplier quality teams	Enterprise manufacturers across life sciences, automotive, aerospace, electronics and more; Reliance Go for small and medium businesses
Published pricing	Yes: Free $0, Basic $40 and Pro $60 per standard user per month; read-only seats $5	No (Reliance Go: "licensing-only pricing")
Free plan or trial	Free plan (one administrator), and every new account gets 14 days of Pro	Not listed on their website
Supplier portal	Yes: suppliers answer without an account	Suppliers can be included in workflows as external participants
SCARs	Yes: sent from the issue, answered in the portal, 30-day reminders	Yes
Supplier scorecards	Yes: weighted scorecards with a recommended status	Yes: up to five dimensions
Supplier certificate tracking	Yes: expiry tracked, supplier emailed before it lapses, new certificate uploaded in the portal	Certification management and automated requalification (October 2026 release)
PPAP	Yes: 18 AIAG elements preset per level, supplier PPAP portal	Yes
APQP, PFMEA, control plans	Yes: linked from the ballooned drawing	Yes, in the Advanced Manufacturing package
Inspection, SPC, AS9102 first article	Yes: real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles	Receiving inspection with sampling plans; SPC and AS9102 not listed
Calibration	Yes, with Gage R&R	No product page found
Preventive maintenance	Yes	No product page found
Named ERP connections	Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac, Carbon	SAP, Oracle and other systems through REST APIs
AI	In every module; a person approves every change; can be turned off completely	Form Field Advisor, Complaint and Feedback Advisor, Complaint Intelligence, natural language search

Where FactoryQA stands out

Published prices and a free plan.
Calibration with Gage R&R, preventive maintenance, real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles in the same system.
A supplier portal suppliers answer without an account.
Ready-made connectors for mid-market and job-shop ERPs.
A modern interface a small team can start using today, without months of training.

When Octave Reliance may fit better

You are a large, multi-site enterprise that wants a highly configurable platform with 40+ applications.
You run SAP or Oracle and want an enterprise integration project.

Try it on your own process

The fastest way to compare is with your own records. Start free, use 14 days of Pro, or book a demo with our quality team.

Sources

Written by FactoryQA. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

FactoryQA vs 1factory: pricing and features compared

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:46:09 GMT

1factory sells manufacturing quality, supplier collaboration and QMS software and says it serves more than 500 manufacturers in aerospace, medical devices, automotive, industrial and semiconductor industries. It is strong on inspection: auto-ballooning, AS9102 first articles, SPC and CMM data import.

At a glance

	FactoryQA	1factory
Built for	Manufacturers, including small and mid-size shops and supplier quality teams	Aerospace, medical device, automotive, industrial and semiconductor manufacturers
Published pricing	Yes: Free $0, Basic $40 and Pro $60 per standard user per month; read-only seats $5	Yes: Quality Control $75 per QC user per month (5 minimum), QMS $20 per QMS user per month (10 minimum), $20 per connected supplier per month (5 minimum); one-year minimum, billed annually
Free plan or trial	Free plan (one administrator), and every new account gets 14 days of Pro	Not listed (demo offered)
Supplier portal	Yes: suppliers answer without an account	Yes: for FAI, PPAP and SCAR
SCARs	Yes: sent from the issue, answered in the portal, 30-day reminders	Yes: 8D SCARs through the portal
Supplier scorecards	Yes: weighted scorecards with a recommended status	Yes: dashboards and scorecards
Supplier certificate tracking	Yes: expiry tracked, supplier emailed before it lapses, new certificate uploaded in the portal	Shipment certificate management; certification expiry tracking not listed
PPAP	Yes: 18 AIAG elements preset per level, supplier PPAP portal	Yes, through the supplier portal
APQP, PFMEA, control plans	Yes: linked from the ballooned drawing	Yes: process flow, PFMEA, control plans
Inspection, SPC, AS9102 first article	Yes: real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles	Yes: auto-ballooning, AS9102, SPC, CMM import
Calibration	Yes, with Gage R&R	Yes, with Gage R&R
Preventive maintenance	Yes	Not listed on their website
Named ERP connections	Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac, Carbon	Part Master API (Enterprise option); no named ERP connectors listed
AI	In every module; a person approves every change; can be turned off completely	None: 1factory says it uses a deterministic recognition engine instead of AI models

Where FactoryQA stands out

A free plan, and Basic billed monthly, against a one-year minimum and per-plan user minimums.
One system for the whole QMS, including preventive maintenance, training, audits and compliance scoring.
Supplier certificates tracked with expiry emails and portal uploads.
Ready-made connectors for Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac and Carbon.
AI that drafts PFMEAs, control plans, procedures and courses, with a person approving every change.

When 1factory may fit better

Inspection is your main need and you import CMM data from Zeiss, Keyence, PC-DMIS or Mitutoyo machines.

Try it on your own process

The fastest way to compare is with your own records. Start free, use 14 days of Pro, or book a demo with our quality team.

Sources

Written by FactoryQA. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

FactoryQA vs QT9 QMS: pricing and features compared

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 21:46:08 GMT

QT9 Software, based in Aurora, Illinois, sells QT9 QMS alongside its own ERP and BI products. QT9 describes its QMS as best for small to mid-market manufacturers in medical device, pharma, aerospace and food and beverage.

At a glance

	FactoryQA	QT9 QMS
Built for	Manufacturers, including small and mid-size shops and supplier quality teams	Small to mid-market manufacturers in medical device, pharma, aerospace, food and beverage (QT9's words)
Published pricing	Yes: Free $0, Basic $40 and Pro $60 per standard user per month; read-only seats $5	No: custom quote, annual licensing, concurrent licenses
Free plan or trial	Free plan (one administrator), and every new account gets 14 days of Pro	Free trial, no credit card (length not stated)
Supplier portal	Yes: suppliers answer without an account	Yes: Supplier Web Portal
SCARs	Yes: sent from the issue, answered in the portal, 30-day reminders	Corrective actions assigned through the Supplier Web Portal
Supplier scorecards	Yes: weighted scorecards with a recommended status	Supplier evaluations ("qualify, audit, and score suppliers")
Supplier certificate tracking	Yes: expiry tracked, supplier emailed before it lapses, new certificate uploaded in the portal	Not listed on their website
PPAP	Yes: 18 AIAG elements preset per level, supplier PPAP portal	Not listed on their website
APQP, PFMEA, control plans	Yes: linked from the ballooned drawing	FMEA listed; APQP and control plans not listed
Inspection, SPC, AS9102 first article	Yes: real-time SPC and AS9102 first articles	Inspections module; SPC and AS9102 not listed
Calibration	Yes, with Gage R&R	Yes
Preventive maintenance	Yes	Yes
Named ERP connections	Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, JobBOSS², Realtrac, Carbon	QT9 ERP; Data Sync add-on for NetSuite, Dynamics 365, Sage, Great Plains, Acumatica, E2, Infor, on-prem Epicor
AI	In every module; a person approves every change; can be turned off completely	AI Help Center, with no access to your records

Where FactoryQA stands out

Published prices and a free plan, so you can start on real work without a quote.
APQP, PFMEA, control plans, PPAP, SPC and AS9102 first articles built in and linked to the drawing; QT9's site lists FMEA but not the rest.
Supplier certificates tracked with expiry emails and portal uploads.
AI that drafts inside each module on your records, with a person approving every change.
Ready-made connectors for job-shop ERPs such as JobBOSS² and Realtrac.

When QT9 QMS may fit better

You work in FDA-regulated medical device or pharma manufacturing: QT9 lists 21 CFR parts 11, 210, 211 and 820 and offers a pre-validated system.
You want a QMS from the same vendor as your ERP.

Try it on your own process

The fastest way to compare is with your own records. Start free, use 14 days of Pro, or book a demo with our quality team.

Sources

Written by FactoryQA. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

Counterfeit parts prevention for manufacturers | FactoryQA

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 16:02:06 GMT

A counterfeit part is an unauthorized copy, imitation or substitute, or a used part passed off as new. Electronic components get the most attention, but fasteners, bearings, raw material and other commodity parts are counterfeited too. In aerospace and defense the consequences are serious enough that AS9100D makes counterfeit parts prevention an explicit requirement (clause 8.1.4).

What the requirement covers

AS9100D asks you to plan and implement processes that prevent counterfeit or suspect counterfeit parts from being used and from reaching your customer. In practice that means training people to recognise the risk, buying from trustworthy sources, verifying what you receive, controlling suspect parts, and reporting them. Your customers may add their own requirements through purchase order flow-downs, so check those too.

Buy from the right sources

Buy from the original manufacturer or its authorized distributors whenever you can.
When a part is obsolete or only available from independent distributors, treat it as higher risk: require documentation, traceability and testing.
Keep the approval scope on your approved supplier list specific, and flow your counterfeit parts requirements down to your suppliers.

Verify on receipt

Certificates of conformance and, where available, traceability back to the original manufacturer
Visual inspection of markings, packaging and labels against known good examples
Testing proportionate to the risk, from simple checks to lab analysis for high-risk parts

Control and report suspect parts

Quarantine suspect parts, record them as nonconforming product and do not return them to the supplier where they could re-enter the supply chain. Investigate how they got in, raise a corrective action, and report as your customer and any applicable reporting systems require.

Train the people involved

Purchasing, receiving inspection and stores staff are your first line of defense. Keep training records, and refresh the training as risks change.

FactoryQA keeps the pieces in one system: the approved supplier list with scope and certificates in Supplier Quality, nonconforming and suspect parts and their corrective actions in Issues, and training records in Learning Management. Compliance scores your readiness against AS9100D, clause by clause.

Controlling outsourced special processes | FactoryQA

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 16:02:05 GMT

A special process is one whose result cannot be fully verified by inspecting the finished part: heat treating, plating and anodizing, welding and brazing, non-destructive testing, chemical processing, coating. You cannot see case depth or hydrogen embrittlement with a caliper. Because the output cannot be fully checked, the process itself has to be controlled, and when it is outsourced, that control has to reach into your supplier.

Approve the source

Use qualified sources. Check whether your customer requires its own approved sources or an accreditation such as Nadcap, and approve the supplier for the specific process and specification, not in general.
Check the certificate scope. A Nadcap or ISO 9001 certificate should cover the exact process and the site doing the work.
Track expiry. A lapsed accreditation can mean parts you cannot ship.

Specify it completely

The purchase order should name the specification and revision, the class or type, the material and condition, any testing and sampling, and what certification must come back with the parts. Ambiguity on the order is where most special-process escapes start.

Require the evidence

A certificate of conformance for each lot that names the specification and revision
Test results where the specification requires them: hardness, thickness, adhesion, salt spray, NDT reports
Traceability from your lot to their batch, furnace load or bath

Verify at the supplier

Paperwork alone is not control. Audit special-process suppliers against the specification: equipment calibration and surveys, bath or atmosphere control, operator qualifications, process records for your lots. Process-specific checklists help an auditor ask the right questions.

React fast when something goes wrong

A special-process problem often affects many lots. Contain everything processed in the same window, issue a SCAR, and check the supplier's records for the root cause before you accept more parts.

FactoryQA's Supplier Quality module records ISO 9001, AS9100, IATF 16949, NADCAP and other certificates with their expiry, emails suppliers before they lapse and handles SCARs through the portal. Supplier audits run in Audits. Our Supplier Quality Services can assess and audit special-process suppliers with you.

Supplier PPAP: how to request, review and approve

FactoryQA quality team — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 16:02:04 GMT

The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is how a supplier proves its production process makes parts that meet all your requirements, at the planned rate, before you accept parts for production. It started in automotive (AIAG) and is now common across aerospace, medical and industrial supply chains.

When to request a PPAP

A new part or a new supplier
A change to the design, material, process, tooling, location or sub-supplier
Tooling that has been inactive for a long time
After a serious quality problem, to re-prove the process

Choose the submission level

The AIAG manual defines five levels, from a part submission warrant only (level 1) to everything reviewed at the supplier's site (level 5). Level 3, with the warrant, product samples and complete supporting data, is the usual default. Ask for more for critical parts and new suppliers, less for simple catalogue-type parts, and state the level on the purchase order or request.

What to check in the package

Dimensional results. Every characteristic on the ballooned drawing measured, at the right revision, with actual values rather than "OK".
Process flow, PFMEA and control plan. They should describe the same steps and characteristics, and special characteristics should be controlled.
Measurement system analysis. Gage R&R for the gages that check key characteristics.
Capability studies. Initial process studies for special characteristics, meeting your acceptance criteria.
Material and performance test results from qualified labs, and certificates for special processes.
The part submission warrant, signed, matching the drawing revision and the parts submitted.

Common reasons PPAPs are rejected

Drawing revision on the warrant does not match the samples
Characteristics missing from the dimensional report
A PFMEA and control plan that do not match each other or the process flow
Gage R&R or capability results that miss the criteria, with no reaction plan

Make the decision clear

Approve, interim approve with conditions and a deadline, or reject with specific reasons. Record the decision against the part and supplier so receiving and purchasing know what they can accept.

In FactoryQA, suppliers submit through the supplier PPAP portal without a login. In Quality Plans each PPAP submission gets a workspace with the 18 AIAG elements preset for its level, live records linked as evidence, and the PPAP AI Reviewer scores readiness before you submit. Our Supplier Quality Services include PPAP services and PPAP training for suppliers.