A Bill of Materials (BOM) has long been used to define a product and its individual parts. However, smart manufacturing organisations have discovered that with the right software, you can use your BOM to oversee the entirety of a product’s data throughout its lifecycle, ensuring a unified, accurate system bringing in data from physical and digital environments.
With the right BOM management solution, you get a single source of truth for product data that is useable by all your teams (engineering, manufacturing, quality, service), as well as your supply chain. This results in improvements across many critical metrics. In this article, we’ll share five reasons you should invest in BOM management software for your organisation.
1 – Faster time to market
By simplifying data, processes and systems, BOM management helps companies release more innovative products faster and more efficiently.
Because it holds all the product information in a digital format, your BOM management software allows you to ‘promote’ data to a collaborative state earlier, ensuring stakeholders can access accurate and traceable information without having to wait for the finalisation of the design.
2 – Ties diverse structures together
Today’s manufacturing processes involve varied BOM structures from a range of sources, including multi-CAD tools, Excel files and homegrown solutions. Often, a manufacturer will create variants of a BOM based on differing customer demands, which creates an extra layer of administration.
A BOM management tool should be able to streamline these structures, accommodating data wherever it comes from. Good BOM management should create modular designs tied to logical requirements, enabling scalable, configurable products, reducing the need for late-stage design revisions and accelerating lead time. It should also integrate seamlessly with the other tools you use in your processes, such as CPQ and ERP, creating a consistent data flow across the organisation.
3 – Configurations made easy
Advanced BOM management solutions track variations throughout the product development process, delivering visibility into data maturity and ensuring all participants understand the interdependencies that exist.
Whether you’re in engineering, manufacturing, the supply chain or anywhere else, you should be able to access detailed product information with all relevant data. Your BOM management tools should allow comparison of product structures - including parts, CAD, documents and configurations (in 3D) - enhancing clarity and allowing for better decision-making.
4 – Simple visualisation
Visuals of a product are essential, especially when sharing information across an organisation. These visualisations must represent complete and precise data so stakeholders can recognise parts faster and collaborate more smoothly.
BOM management equips stakeholders with 3D product visuals, interference checks, colour-coded searches and more, optimising downstream processes and boosting engagement. These visuals can be a game-changer for a manufacturer that wants to move faster and become more innovative.
5 – Boost reuse and lower costs
In a world where new parts are expensive, reusing parts minimises costs, reduces inventory complexity and simplifies aftermarket serviceability.
BOM management solutions support greater reuse of materials in two ways:
- Part classification – Enhanced data categorisation allows for easier identification of parts which will meet a user’s needs, so they don’t need to create new components
- Supplier management – Effective BOM management links parts to suppliers, helping manufacturers optimise procurement and streamline supplier relationships
The result? More reuse and lower component costs.
Are you ready for BOM management?
If you’re ready to reap these five benefits (and more), it’s time to get started with BOM management software. With BOM management at the centre of your digital thread, you can achieve real-time manufacturing coordination throughout the product lifecycle.
To find out more, visit www.concurrent-engineering.co.uk/digital-thread.