What is a Bill of Materials?

Manufacturers today face immense pressure to bring products to market faster, reduce development costs, and adapt quickly to increasingly complex product requirements. The Bill of Materials (BOM) has long been a cornerstone of manufacturing, serving as a comprehensive list of items required to build or manufacture a product, such as parts, materials, tools, coolants, documents, and more. It is also a critical primary reference point for multiple departments. BOMs are essential in manufacturing and production planning because they specify the quantity, description, and sometimes the suppliers of each component required to build a product.

What are Different Types of BOMs?

There are many kinds of BOMs, including purchasing BOMs, service BOMs, assembly BOMs, and others. The most familiar types of BOMs typically include:

  • EBOM (engineering bill of materials) – The engineering BOM comes together during product design, typically assembled by engineers and product designers who use CAD or ECAD tools. It outlines all the items, parts, components, subassemblies, and assemblies in the product.
  • MBOM (manufacturing bill of materials) – The manufacturing BOM (mBOM) is the go-to document for outlining every part and assembly needed to produce a finished product. It also accounts for any parts that require processing or preparation before they’re ready for assembly. 
  • SBOM (service bill of materials) – The service BOM is a comprehensive inventory of all serviceable components required to maintain an asset during its operational lifecycle. It caters to those involved in servicing or utilizing the product, including end-users, mechanics, technicians, dealers, and other maintenance professionals.
     

Addressing the Challenges of BOM Management

Common Challenges in BOM Management

Screenshot showing SOLIDWORKS UI with CAD model and data

Traditional BOM management is often done with Excel spreadsheets, static documents not designed to accommodate the dynamic nature of development. The lack of real-time access to BOMs invites human error throughout the laborious manual updating process. BOMs quickly become fragmented as outdated revisions abound. Communication gaps become commonplace, and ultimately, poor BOM management can lead to production errors or delays that negatively impact delivery dates and the bottom line.

While the manual approach proved sufficient in the less complicated era of mass-produced mechanical goods, modern products are far more complex, often integrating mechanical, electronic, and software components.
 

Why is Real-time BOM Management Important in Manufacturing?

SOLIDWORKS screen showing personalized BOM view

To address the challenges of producing complex products, manufacturers are moving beyond incremental manual improvements to adopt advanced technologies for improving product development. Enabled by technologies offered on platforms like 3DEXPERIENCE®, real-time BOM management integrates the process for all critical stakeholders into a single, digitally connected environment.

Once connected to a collaborative framework, BOMs are accessible to all team members, regardless of department or technical ability. Like the traditional BOM, one managed on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides all the needed information but with continual updates as the BOM evolves. Real-time updates accommodate the ever-changing demands of the design and manufacturing process while supporting collaboration across the entire product development team.

Unified Design and Manufacturing: How BOM Management Improves Efficiency

A unified design and manufacturing process emphasizes seamless collaboration among various teams, leveraging tools like the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform to centralize information and access to it. A centralized BOM is a key enabler of this approach, allowing all departments—from design to production—to work from the same set of data. This minimizes errors and fosters efficiency while maintaining adaptability throughout the process.
Here are a few examples of what a unified design and manufacturing process that leverages a centralized BOM might look like across various teams:

  • Mechanical Engineering – A centralized BOM includes not only the mechanical parts (e.g., shafts, casings) but also integrates updates from the other teams to ensure compatibility with electronic housings or software interfaces. For example, the design of a motor casing must consider cooling vents for electronic components specified by the electronics team.
  • Electrical Engineering – Electrical wiring diagrams are integrated into the centralized BOM, ensuring alignment with the mechanical team’s designs for routing and the electronics team’s PCB layouts. For instance, the BOM might highlight specific wire types or connectors that require precise routing through mechanical enclosures.
  • Software Engineering – Software requirements, such as memory allocation or processing power, are documented in the unified BOM alongside hardware specifications. This ensures the electronics and electrical teams select microcontrollers or processors that can handle the software’s performance needs.

Real-time updates and shared access to product data enable smoother transitions from design through manufacturing. Plus, the digital BOM eliminates the need for manual updates, reducing errors and inconsistencies. Therefore, manufacturers can quickly adjust to changes in customer needs or supply chain issues without delaying production.

BOM accuracy is critical in product development because in addition to its use in manufacturing, BOMs are also utilized in design, engineering, procurement, supply chain, service, maintenance, and other departments. Everyone on the same page with the latest and most accurate information facilitates better cost estimation, materials planning, inventory management, and more.

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Key Benefits of BOM Management

A digitally unified work environment bridges the gap between engineering and manufacturing. Manufacturing engineers can view the status of BOM items in real time and ensure materials remain aligned with the latest design updates. Manufacturing can initiate changes early in the process and maintain a feedback loop that mitigates risk when changes directed by engineering may be difficult or costly. This digital connection also minimizes product development disruptions, thereby accelerating the release of new products to market.

Companies can enjoy centralized BOM collaboration across multiple departments using tools found on platforms such as the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Preventing miscommunication and ensuring that everyone is working with the latest, most accurate information offers several advantages, including:

  • Lower Development Costs – Eliminating inefficiencies and reducing errors lowers overall project costs.
  • Shorter Time to Revenue – Early manufacturing exposure and collaboration on the BOM’s development helps catch errors before they can become production delays downstream.
  • Competitive Edge – Agile, integrated processes position manufacturers to respond swiftly to changing market demands.

Without a centralized, accurate source of BOM data that is easily accessible by all stakeholders, organizations face myriad conflicting versions of information. The fragmented and manual nature of engineering changes and design evolution make it nearly impossible to keep data current.

Manual management of BOMs is riddled with challenges. BOM data scattered across disconnected spreadsheets, systems, and documents makes it difficult to access the right information when needed. Tedious manual tasks consume valuable time and slow workflows. The lack of access for critical stakeholders makes capturing all changes in one document impossible.

Why Is BOM Management Important in Manufacturing?

XEN user interface with 3D model of Bowhead ebike - SOLIDWORKS

Modern BOM solutions offer several clear advantages that make managing data easier and more effective. They ensure all design and manufacturing stakeholders are working from the same accurate and up-to-date information, reducing confusion and errors. Cloud-based tools like the 3DEXPERIENCE platform make it possible to access and collaborate on BOMs securely from any device, no matter where team members are located. Additionally, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables non-CAD users, such as those in sales, quality control, or other roles, to interact with BOMs; the data is accessible to everyone who needs it.

As products grow more complex, and with data coming from various disciplines, managing BOMs manually invites errors that increase costs and delay release to market. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform not only integrates seamlessly with CAD tools like SOLIDWORKS but also ensures that engineering data is always current and accessible. By enabling easy collaboration across teams, simplifying BOM updates, and streamlining data exchange with downstream systems, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform helps improve productivity, reduce errors, and enable companies to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment.
 

Choosing the Right BOM Management Tools for Your Needs

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Product Release Engineer, powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, is a solution designed to streamline collaboration across teams. It provides a unified product definition, allowing manufacturing, engineering, and other departments to access the latest information and work together seamlessly on product structures. Product Release Engineer helps accelerate the product definition process, reduce complexity, and ensure compliance with corporate standards.

Download PDF for Product Release Engineer

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