How to create a Bill of Materials (BOM)

If you’re new to the world of manufacture, or are considering branching your business out into this industry, then this blog post is for you. Today we’ll be discussing what a Bill of Materials (BOM) is, how it fits into your manufacturing process and if you’re already clued-up, how to create one.

What is a Bill of Materials (BOM)?

A Bill of Materials (BOM), also known as a Bill of Materials (BOM), is a comprehensive list of raw materials, components, labour and machinery (or recipe of ingredients, if you will) that are required to build a product. It is used across all levels of manufacture, in different capacities.

Many key players will reference the Bill of Materials (BOM) in their work, including designers, engineers, manufacturers, and operations managers, so accuracy when producing it is essential.

A Bill of Materials (BOM) can also be used to track changes in a product, version on version, and acts as the first reference for any product data that’s needed. This is especially required if companies outsource any parts production.

How to create a Bill of Materials (BOM)

Accurate product and component details are essential, to ensure everyone working on the Bill of Materials (BOM) has everything they need and all detail in place to ensure that orders can be fulfilled and detailed costs recorded. Make sure to include.

Bill of Materials (BOM) level – Give each part a Bill of Materials (BOM) level, indicating where it sits in the product assembly hierarchy. This gives a top-level indication of where things sit.

Part number and name – Each part or assembly needs a part number that’s unique to it, and a unique name with detailed cost for each part or component.

Part quantity and unit – List how many of each part is needed, and how you will refer to a measurement of the unit. For example, each, feet, metres etc.

Part description — A description of the qualities of each product. This will help to identify specific parts, especially when there are similar products on the Bill of Materials (BOM).

Part procurement – Is a part made in-house or ordered in? This information is detailed here.

Part reference designators —Include a reference designator when you need to dictate where the part fits on circuit boards, or other product elements.

Once you have captured the above information you now have the ability to drill into this information to run detailed reports on costs, Trial Kitting Lists (have you got sufficient components to build your products). In addition you can allocate stock to specific orders, check version history and a multitude of other information to help you run your business.

For further advice on manufacturing process, or for advice on manufacturing software to help your business progress, contact our team today.