As a follow up to the BOM in Excel article, what would constitute a perfect system for managing Bills of Material (BOM) in a PLM system?

Let’s divide the capabilities of this ideal system into three categories; mandatory, essential and nice-to-have.

For the sake of definition, a Part is an end item in a BOM structure, and an assembly is a collection of Parts arranged in a BOM structure. Also, this discussion is restricted to eBOM; other types of BOM’s is a much larger topic.

Mandatory

• Manage Parts making up the BOM
• Manage Part Attributes such as Date Created, Owner, Make/Buy etc.
• Manage Documents or Files associated with the Part (CAD, Drawings, Specs etc.)
• Manage BOM structures of Parts, with indent capability
• Handle version and revision levels for all Parts
• Handle version and revision levels for all Assemblies
• Allow for search capability on Parts and Assemblies
• Enable reuse of existing Parts in new Assemblies
• Facilitate comparison of current BOM structures
• Allow for “where used” enquiries or reports
• BOM structure export to facilitate external system integration
• Collapse / expand indented levels
• One BOM for all – accessible by all users

Essential

• Manage lifecycle of BOM (In design, Released, In Production, etc.)
• Distinguish between various types of Parts in Assemblies (Designed, Bought, Complete, In Work, Customer etc.)
• Allow for comparison between various versions and revisions of BOM
• Enable BOM view based on release date and different release configuration
• Duplicate BOM (Save As) allowing for alterations and edits during the process
• BOM templates for generic products
• Allow for BOM variants and configurations
• Based on configuration rules, resolve to exact BOM
• BOM costing (roll up)
• Launch BOM selections into Digital Mockup session
• Enable clash and interference analysis

Nice to Have

• Pictorial BOM
• Search in BOMs
• Part Classification to facilitate reuse
• BOM weight roll up
• Link BOM to Requirements
• Allow for BOM visualization
• Specific views dependent on user or context

Obviously, each of these requirements is a complete topic in of itself. Also, additional requirements may exist.