However you look at it, you must have a plan in place for your pre-production start-up. The sayings “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” and “the devil is in the detail” are particularly applicable here. Many of these steps are also part of the PPAP (Production Parts Approval Process) that is the standard in the European and North-American auto industry. This article will cover some of these steps. However, if you are launching a new product, there are a number of steps that you can take to ensure production starts up as smoothly as possible. If you are purchasing products that are quite standard for the manufacturer and if the processes involved are simple, you can do like most importers: approve pre-production samples, write down the specifications, issue a purchase order, and send some money.