Bill of Materials Software

If you are managing complex assemblies, a bill of materials software application will provide you with the functionality you need to make your manufacturing more organized and efficient. Bill of material software specifies the raw materials, parts, and sub-assemblies needed to manufacture each specific product. By providing precise instructions on what is needed for each manufacturing job, bill of materials modules allows you to complete more jobs in less time with cost savings on both labor and materials. Find out about the bill of materials (BOM) software options on the market and how they can benefit you in this article.

What Does a Bill of Materials Software Module Do?

Bill of materials software breaks the manufacturing of an item down to the component level. Bill of materials software provides specific instructions on both material needs and assemblies required for the creation of a product. In order to create the requirements, bill of materials software takes information from order entry systems, inventory control, and master production schedule modules. By integrating different functional areas a bill of materials allows you to coordinate a variety of tasks, from provisioning of materials to specifying work, into a single instruction set. Having a clear explanation of how to complete each manufacturing job will allow you to eliminate waste in materials and better coordinate machine usage and labor.

Understanding Bill of Materials With a Simplified Example

For instance, if you are building a clock, you might have two levels of assembly: one for the internal clock-works and one for the outer casing. The bill of materials for each assembly would detail the materials and the steps needed in each assembly. For example, the outer casing assembly might include a materials list including the wood for the casing, screws, and paint. It would also specify the correct order of steps needed to cut the wood, assemble the casing, and paint it. Finally, the bill of materials would specify the labor and machine requirements for that step of the assembly. Of course, in the real world, bill of materials is used to manage considerably more complex assembly processes.

Saving Time With Bill of Materials Software Automation, Collaboration, and Templates

With bill of materials software modules you can save time by eliminating the need to manually gather data. A bill of materials will automatically grab information from engineering drawings, part number lists, spreadsheets, and other paper documents. Bill of materials software modules promote collaboration by allowing employees from multiple locations to access the same information in real time. You can basically eliminate the need to mail or fax a list of production components between plants. Another time-saving feature of bill of materials is the ability to edit previous instructions to create a new bill of materials based on your existing templates.