Most late problems are not a bad design. They are a decision no one made early.
A late surprise is almost always an early decision that no one made. Four of them decide whether a board is easy to certify, build and support — or expensive to fix once it is already in the field.
Download the one-page PDF (no form) →The four decisions
Each one is easy to settle early, and expensive to find late — and each one is a step in APQP.
APQP · Design FMEA
01 A single board with no backup
Decided early
The partner decides whether one fault can stop the whole machine, and adds a backup where it is needed.
Left for later
The design is already set, and the first fault in the field stops the whole unit.
APQP · Design verification
02 A requirement that is a number, not a word
Decided early
“Low noise” becomes a value with a pass/fail limit, agreed before anyone builds.
Left for later
Without a number, two engineers build to different targets. It passes one test and fails another at validation.
APQP · Change control
03 A controlled change
Decided early
Every change after design freeze is recorded and checked again, so an approved unit stays approved.
Left for later
A component or a process changes, nothing warns you, and the new units no longer match the ones you approved.
APQP · Control plan
04 A board the line can test on every unit
Decided early
The layout lets the line measure every critical function on every unit.
Left for later
The line ships what it cannot fully confirm, and the fault appears one unit at a time.
You don’t just buy a component. You inherit a design discipline.
Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) comes from the automotive industry. It plans quality during the design, not after. Each decision above is one of its checks — settled early, with you.
An electronics design and manufacturing partner for OEMs
KELD is an electronics design and manufacturing partner for OEMs in HVAC, ventilation, motors, pumps and refrigeration. We apply APQP from the first idea, so these decisions are settled with you — before the board is built. See how we work with OEM teams.
Have your current suppliers ever shown you how they plan quality — or only told you?
None of these questions is about distrust. They are about proof. APQP is not extra paperwork. It is the difference between a part you hope is right and a part you know is right.
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