Ask the Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Expert: Scheduling Assistance
 Asked on Sep 21 2005 10:18:40:000AM | Q | Could you please share your experience on PDM/ERP integration involving a single BOM concept with respect to the following:
- Problems in managing BOM data
- BOM stakeholders
- BOM structure at different levels, e.g., engineering, manufacturing, service and so on.
Bagur Manjunath, Bangalore, India |
| A | There are many issues in defining and managing common or "single" BOM information in integrated PLM and ERP environments. These include defining who "owns" the BOM at each point in the lifecycle and the source of the master information; how change how the BOM is controlled in the combined environments; whether integration is one way or bi-directional; establishing common terminology for parts, structures and BOMs; and defining the views (e.g., EBOM, MBOM, etc.) that are needed for how they are managed. BOM data must be maintained in a current and consistent manner, regardless of the application systems within which it is maintained and managed. This means that change management must be complete and consistent across both the PLM and ERP environments. Propagation of changes (in both directions if appropriate), must be performed in a timely manner to avoid using out-of-date BOM configurations. The stakeholders are the management of the major development, production and service groups -- typically the VP of Engineering, VP of Manufacturing and VP of Service and Customer Support. Additional stakeholders will be determined by individual corporate organizations and structures. Engineering normally uses an indented product structure as its BOM; manufacturing may need different views and structures. These views may include "made on assembly" parts, phantom parts, service kits, etc. The level of detail needed by a reviewer, normally using a light weight viewer, is less than that required by a design or manufacturing engineer. Each user needs to be automatically presented with the appropriate BOM view and a level of detail that is pertinent to his organization and work tasks. |
|
|
|
|
|
|