Early BOM Management Solutions

Tabulated BOMs on Drawings

Benefits

• Depicted BOMs (parts List) shown directly on drawing

Weaknesses

• Not intelligent (raster image)

Spreadsheets

Benefits:

• Introduced parent/child structure and basic relationship

Weaknesses

• Disconnected from drawings, change orders
• Difficult to control changes and track usage

Relational Databases

Benefits

• Provided ability to classify and data (e.g., item master, approved manufacturer’s data could be associated with BOM structure data)

• Created ability to manage multilevel BOM relationship and search for where-used assemblies

Weaknesses

• Early databases required IT/ technical resources and were “home-grown” solutions

• Separated from systems and processes that managed change orders, drawings, files, and other documentation

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

Benefits:

• Increased productivity and quality of mechanical or electrical designs (vs. manual, hand-drawn designs)

• Provided ability to generate BOM and export for use in downstream systems

Weaknesses

• Disconnected design systems (e.g., EDA, mCAD, software)

Product Data Management (PDM)

Benefits

• Simplified engineering design team collaboration when working simultaneously on the same designs

Weaknesses

• Failed to introduce any real BOM-related advantages beyond what CAD solution offered

• PDM solutions typically addressed only one CAD tool and didn’t provide comprehensive way to manage ALL aspects of design (e.g., electrical, mechanical, software)

Enterprise Requirements Planning (ERP)

Benefits:

• Improved and helped automate production planning, procurement, and manufacturing processes

• Included ability to manage BOM record more effectively

Weaknesses

• Focused on latest-release BOM used for production and planning, not on all preproduction revisions in design and development

• Did not address supply chain collaboration

As these solutions were introduced, many companies leveraged more than one, resulting in disparate systems across the enterprise. This led to a patchwork of systems in which impacted teams had difficulty identifying the right revision or product design.