The Bill of Materials (BOMs) is vital to the functioning of most companies, but time and again I find that businesses often overlook the management of BOMs. Properly managing BOMs is as important as the BOMs themselves, but, unfortunately, even the simplest BOMs are complex to manage and distribute.
There is no fool-proof, one-size-fits-all BOM management solution. The "right" way to manage the BOM is different for every industry and every manufacturer in that industry. But, when managed well your BOM can be a competitive advantage.
There are four primary options for BOM management: document the BOM in CAD with a BOM table, a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel, PDM and PLM.
But in reality, unless your managing your BOM in PLM, you run risks that range from purchasing the wrong parts or not having the right part in inventory when you need to build product, to safety and quality issues for customers.
With PLM, you have a complete enterprise view of the BOM and the power to develop multiple BOM views for different types of users. You also have configuration management, enterprise processes, real collaboration, reporting and business intelligence, and proper workflows with traceability and security.
Sounds too good to be true? Learn more about managing BOMs with PLM and check out what Aras CEO Peter Schroer has to say about the different BOM management options.