QAD for Automotive: Features, Benefits & Costs

QAD for Automotive

QAD is a cloud-native (SaaS) ERP solution from QAD (Thoma Bravo) that provides automotive companies with the tools they need to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and drive growth. With capabilities spanning Financials, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Transportation Management, and more, QAD addresses the unique challenges facing today's automotive organizations.

Automotive companies face increasing pressure around complex multi-tier supply chains, just-in-time (JIT) delivery requirements, quality traceability and recall management. QAD provides purpose-built functionality to help organizations overcome these challenges while maintaining compliance with standards such as IATF 16949, ISO 14001, REACH.

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Key Features and Modules for Automotive

QAD offers a comprehensive set of features tailored for automotive operations:

Advanced planning and scheduling: QAD provides robust advanced planning and scheduling capabilities that help automotive organizations manage their advanced planning and scheduling processes more effectively, with real-time visibility and automation to reduce manual effort.
EDI integration: QAD provides robust edi integration capabilities that help automotive organizations manage their edi integration processes more effectively, with real-time visibility and automation to reduce manual effort.
Quality management (APQP/PPAP): QAD provides robust quality management (apqp/ppap) capabilities that help automotive organizations manage their quality management (apqp/ppap) processes more effectively, with real-time visibility and automation to reduce manual effort.
Serial/lot tracking: QAD provides robust serial/lot tracking capabilities that help automotive organizations manage their serial/lot tracking processes more effectively, with real-time visibility and automation to reduce manual effort.
Warranty management: QAD provides robust warranty management capabilities that help automotive organizations manage their warranty management processes more effectively, with real-time visibility and automation to reduce manual effort.

Beyond these core modules, QAD offers purpose-built for global manufacturing, strong automotive and life sciences compliance, and adaptive architecture for agility to provide a complete solution for automotive businesses.

Benefits for Automotive Companies

Implementing QAD can deliver significant benefits for automotive organizations:

Seamless EDI communication with OEM partners: QAD's integrated platform ensures that automotive companies can achieve seamless edi communication with oem partners, reducing inefficiencies and improving overall performance.
Full traceability across the automotive supply chain: QAD's integrated platform ensures that automotive companies can achieve full traceability across the automotive supply chain, reducing inefficiencies and improving overall performance.
Automated quality documentation (PPAP, APQP): QAD's integrated platform ensures that automotive companies can achieve automated quality documentation (ppap, apqp), reducing inefficiencies and improving overall performance.
JIT and kanban-based inventory management: QAD's integrated platform ensures that automotive companies can achieve jit and kanban-based inventory management, reducing inefficiencies and improving overall performance.
Integrated warranty and recall management: QAD's integrated platform ensures that automotive companies can achieve integrated warranty and recall management, reducing inefficiencies and improving overall performance.

Ready to evaluate QAD for your automotive business? Get a personalized pricing estimate based on your specific requirements, or connect with a certified implementation partner who specializes in automotive.

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Implementation Considerations

When implementing QAD for a automotive organization, there are several important factors to consider:

Timeline: A typical QAD implementation for automotive companies takes 3–12 months, depending on the scope of modules deployed and degree of customization required.
Data migration: Automotive organizations often have complex data structures spanning advanced planning and scheduling, EDI integration, quality management (APQP/PPAP) that must be carefully mapped and migrated to QAD.
Regulatory compliance: With automotive regulations including IATF 16949 and ISO 14001, the implementation must ensure all compliance requirements are configured from day one.
Change management: Training and change management are critical for adoption. QAD's modern interface and guided workflows can help ease the transition for end users.
Integration requirements: Most automotive companies need QAD to integrate with existing systems. QAD supports this through open APIs and pre-built connectors, though integration complexity should be scoped early.

Pricing and Cost Considerations

QAD pricing for automotive companies requires custom quote, mid-to-enterprise pricing. The total cost of ownership depends on:

User count and licensing: $150–$400/user/month for cloud subscriptions
Modules selected: Automotive-specific modules such as advanced planning and scheduling, EDI integration, quality management (APQP/PPAP) may require additional licensing
Implementation services: Professional services for configuration, customization, data migration, and training
Ongoing costs: Annual maintenance, support, and cloud hosting fees

For a detailed cost estimate tailored to your automotive requirements, get a custom QAD pricing quote.

Why Choose QAD for Automotive?

QAD stands out as a strong ERP solution for automotive companies for several key reasons:

Purpose-built for global manufacturing helps automotive organizations gain a competitive edge
Strong automotive and life sciences compliance ensures smooth end-to-end operations
Integrated supply chain collaboration supports growth and geographic expansion
Industry-specific functionality for advanced planning and scheduling, EDI integration, quality management (APQP/PPAP) addresses the unique needs of automotive businesses
Compliance with IATF 16949 and ISO 14001 is built into the platform

Get Started with QAD for Automotive

Ready to move forward? Here are your recommended next steps:

Get QAD Pricing — Receive a personalized cost estimate based on your automotive requirements
Compare QAD — See how QAD compares to other ERP solutions for automotive
Define Your ERP Requirements — Use our free tool to build your automotive ERP requirements checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

What is QAD for Automotive?

QAD for Automotive is a cloud-native (SaaS) ERP solution designed to help automotive organizations manage their core business processes including advanced planning and scheduling, EDI integration, quality management (APQP/PPAP), serial/lot tracking. It is developed by QAD (Thoma Bravo) and is widely used by automotive companies ranging from mid-size businesses to large enterprises.

How much does QAD cost for automotive companies?

QAD pricing for automotive organizations requires custom quote, mid-to-enterprise pricing. Total cost depends on the number of users, modules selected (such as advanced planning and scheduling and EDI integration), and implementation requirements. Get a personalized QAD quote for your automotive organization.

How long does it take to implement QAD in a automotive organization?

Implementation timelines for QAD in automotive typically range from 3 to 12 months, depending on the complexity of operations, number of modules, and extent of customization required. A phased approach is often recommended to reduce risk and accelerate time to value.

Does QAD support IATF 16949 compliance?

Yes, QAD includes features and configurations that support compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 14001, REACH. The platform provides audit trails, reporting tools, and process controls that help automotive organizations meet their regulatory obligations. Implementation partners can further customize compliance workflows to match specific requirements.

Can QAD integrate with other automotive systems?

QAD offers robust integration capabilities through APIs, middleware, and pre-built connectors that enable connectivity with other automotive systems including specialized advanced planning and scheduling software, quality management (APQP/PPAP) platforms, and third-party applications. This ensures automotive companies can maintain a connected technology ecosystem.

What are the main benefits of QAD for automotive companies?

The primary benefits of QAD for automotive companies include seamless edi communication with oem partners, full traceability across the automotive supply chain, and automated quality documentation (ppap, apqp). The platform also provides purpose-built for global manufacturing and strong automotive and life sciences compliance to help automotive organizations improve operational efficiency and drive growth.

QAD for Automotive: Features, Benefits & Costs