Glossary · Manufacturing systems
Bill of materials (BOM)
Also known as: BOM, Parts list
German: Stückliste
In manufacturing, a bill of materials (BOM) is the structured list of components, assemblies, raw materials and quantities needed to make a product, often organized in levels that reflect the product structure.
- Manufacturing systems
In one sentence
A bill of materials (BOM) lists the components, assemblies, materials and quantities needed to make a product.
Example
The engineering BOM of the gearbox lists 142 items on four levels; the manufacturing BOM adds lubricants and packaging.
How it applies
- Engineering: The engineering BOM (EBOM) reflects the design structure in Product lifecycle management (PLM). The manufacturing BOM (MBOM) in Enterprise resource planning (ERP) reflects how the product is built. Keeping them consistent is a core change management task.
- Production: Production orders take their material requirements from the BOM together with the Routing (manufacturing).
- Documentation: Spare parts lists and exploded views in technical documentation derive from the BOM. Generate them from the BOM of the delivered configuration rather than retyping, and link the documentation revision to the BOM revision. For the digital product passport, BOM data can feed material and substance information.
BOM vs. routing
The BOM says what a product is made of; the routing says how it is made, operation by operation. Together they define a manufacturing process in ERP.