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BOBill of Materials Notes

Reading list

  1. What a bill of materials is and what it holds

    A bill of materials is the parts list for something you make. See what a BOM contains and which fields a typical software record has.

  2. Single-level and multi-level BOMs

    How assemblies and sub-assemblies fit in one parts list, and how a single-level list differs from an indented, multi-level one.

  3. Spreadsheet or BOM software: where a spreadsheet stops working

    A spreadsheet can hold a short parts list. Here's where it starts to strain, and what BOM software adds that a plain grid doesn't.

  4. Kinds of software that hold a BOM

    PLM, ERP, MRP and inventory tools can all store a parts list. Here's what each kind is for and how it relates to the BOM.

  5. Part numbers and item records

    How to name and number parts in a BOM system, from meaningful codes to plain sequence numbers, and why your own number beats a supplier's.

  6. BOM revisions and change records

    How software records a change to a parts list, what a change order should say, and why some tools lock a BOM once it's submitted.

  7. How software rolls up cost from a BOM

    How BOM software adds up component costs, sub-assemblies and operations into a product cost, and why the answer is only as fresh as your prices.

  8. Linking a BOM to stock and purchasing

    How a BOM drives what to reserve and what to reorder, how reorder points work, and what a work order does to stock in BOM software.