How do you handle BOMs in PDM?

[mike miller]

We're currently kicking the tires on a few PDM systems and a question that often comes up is: how does a PDM BOM get used by manufacturing?

Do you export it to Excel and drop it onto a drawing? (Ick. )
Does MFG view the BOM using a PDM client?
Do you export it to a PDF?
How do balloons work if you don't have the same BOM on a drawing as the PDM BOM?

[bnemec]

We're currently kicking the tires on a few PDM systems and a question that often comes up is: how does a PDM BOM get used by manufacturing?

Do you export it to Excel and drop it onto a drawing? (Ick. )

No, it goes into a "thing" in the same system as MFG BOMS and routings. It's only slightly less icky than spread sheet and MFG doesn't load their BOMs from it anyway, they copy something similar and manually type changes anyway.

Does MFG view the BOM using a PDM client?

No. when PDM Pro was demo'd they though it looked nice. Once we got actual real data in there with all the versions and stuff, the perception changed. We have not yet seen how to make the BOM tab add value beyond the Contains tab.

Do you export it to a PDF?

yes, through task add-in on state change to Released state.

How do balloons work if you don't have the same BOM on a drawing as the PDM BOM?

Print has parts list connected to balloons. I'm lost as to how some places can have balloons for pc parts in assembly but not have parts list on print.

[JSculley]

We're currently kicking the tires on a few PDM systems and a question that often comes up is: how does a PDM BOM get used by manufacturing?

Do you export it to Excel and drop it onto a drawing? (Ick. )
Does MFG view the BOM using a PDM client?
Do you export it to a PDF?
How do balloons work if you don't have the same BOM on a drawing as the PDM BOM?

Since we do not have a full-blown ECR/ECN process here, the SW BOMs are very susceptible to showing incorrect data, because our documents of record are PDFs of the SW drawings generated at the time the drawings are released. If a part is revised (say the description changes) the entire where-used tree will show incorrect data in their BOMs if they are visible in the PDF. This means that placing the SW BOM on the drawing is a no-no for us. Instead, we place the BOM outside the drawing border. I wrote a custom PDM add-in that allows any PDM user to right click a SW assembly, SW drawing or PDF and select 'Print BOM'. The add-in will compare the contents of the SW BOM on the associated drawing with the references stored in PDM and make any necessary adjustments. It then opens the BOM in an Excel print dialog that the user can review or print which looks like this:

[JSculley]

No. when PDM Pro was demo'd they though it looked nice. Once we got actual real data in there with all the versions and stuff, the perception changed. We have not yet seen how to make the BOM tab add value beyond the Contains tab.

You can get some value from it if your SW BOM is THE BOM. You can view the SW BOM as it appears on the SW drawing from the PDM BOM tab but you have to select it every time from the drop down.

Other than that, yes the PDM BOM tab is useless if for no other reason than the BOM shows no item numbers and the order is based on the document ID of the files comprising it. So, basically the BOM rows are listed oldest parts to newest parts.

[matt]

To me, SW naming a PDM product "PDM" and people actually using that name is a crime. The software SW sells as "PDM" should have some other name. It's like GM's next car being called CAR. It makes everything SO confusing. You can't have a conversation about SW PDM compared to hypothetical or generic PDM. They have done this with other functions in the software (like "Layout" which is different from what most of us think of as a layout sketch). Just drives me nuts.

Anyway, there are several ways to deal with BOMs in generic PDM. You can put a BOM on the SW drawing, and use that as the actual BOM document. You can use the generic PDM list as a BOM. In some PDM products you can add non-geometrical stuff like grease, paint, air in the tires, or stuff like that. In CAD you can add parts with no geometry, and they can still show up on the drawing BOM and work instructions. I personally would not make a separate document as a BOM. It's just another layer of non-automated steps that you have to maintain.

There are a lot of (probably better) choices, and personally I don't see why SW PDM gets such undue attention.

[mike miller]

To me, SW naming a PDM product "PDM" and people actually using that name is a crime. The software SW sells as "PDM" should have some other name. It's like GM's next car being called CAR. It makes everything SO confusing. You can't have a conversation about SW PDM compared to hypothetical or generic PDM. They have done this with other functions in the software (like "Layout" which is different from what most of us think of as a layout sketch). Just drives me nuts.

Anyway, there are several ways to deal with BOMs in generic PDM. You can put a BOM on the SW drawing, and use that as the actual BOM document. You can use the generic PDM list as a BOM. In some PDM products you can add non-geometrical stuff like grease, paint, air in the tires, or stuff like that. In CAD you can add parts with no geometry, and they can still show up on the drawing BOM and work instructions. I personally would not make a separate document as a BOM. It's just another layer of non-automated steps that you have to maintain.

There are a lot of (probably better) choices, and personally I don't see why SW PDM gets such undue attention.

Well yeah, just to clarify, I'm referring to generic Product Data Management systems and not SWX PDM.

What am I supposed to say, "CPLDIDED"? (Colloborating Platform Linking Disruptive Innovators and Design Experience Data)


[/rant]
[/sarc]

So a BOM inside of a Product Data Management system ( ) is useless except to view children? If there's no real-world benny-fits, why use it...???

[Ry-guy]

Quick question...how do you manage BOMs are you talking about Revision-based or effectivity-based BOMs?

You have to keep in mind that PDM system should only manage the engineering BOM (and only if that is a revision-based BOM). Your PLM system should manage your corporate BOMs. Your MES should be able to take your PLM BOM and then build its own BOM structure. Same goes for the EPR system.
BOM conversations can get very wild quickly.

Your real question should start with a definition of how your company currently manages product structures throughout your organization. Then see if you can find a system that can manage a portion based on your business processes. Let the other systems pull data and manage in their own tools. Just my opinion, since you asked.

[SolidMuse]

What am I supposed to say, "CPLDIDED"? (Colloborating Platform Linking Disruptive Innovators and Design Experience Data)


[/rant]
[/sarc]

OMG.... Don't give DS any ideas.

[matt]

What am I supposed to say, "CPLDIDED"? (Colloborating Platform Linking Disruptive Innovators and Design Experience Data)

Yeah, that would be a great help to me if you would refer to whatever you're referring to in that way. Monty Python cast may be auditioning a new member...

So a BOM inside of a Product Data Management system ( ) is useless except to view children? If there's no real-world benny-fits, why use it...???

You'd have to have access to the PDM (sorry, the CPLDIDED) to see it, and you couldn't print it out. I'd use the CAD Drawing with the BOM on it. That way it's automatically a real printable rev controlled document.

[jcapriotti]

We're currently kicking the tires on a few PDM systems and a question that often comes up is: how does a PDM BOM get used by manufacturing?

Do you export it to Excel and drop it onto a drawing? (Ick. )
Does MFG view the BOM using a PDM client?
Do you export it to a PDF?
How do balloons work if you don't have the same BOM on a drawing as the PDM BOM?

Current system, drawing based and manually built. Our BOMs are configurable so they often known as 150% or master BOMs. SolidWorks can't really build those and thus PDM can't really display it correctly.

On the Windchill side, engineering builds the EBOM starting with CAD data then adding additional components. It's a little wonky though and is partially linked still to the CAD structure. Then manufacturing 'transforms' the BOM with a tool in WC to create an MBOM. They can restructure, add parts, change quantities. The UI sucks but the function is there, its' just hard to use unless that's what you do all day.

[Ry-guy]

Current system, drawing based and manually built. Our BOMs are configurable so they often known as 150% or master BOMs. SolidWorks can't really build those and thus PDM can't really display it correctly.

On the Windchill side, engineering builds the EBOM starting with CAD data then adding additional components. It's a little wonky though and is partially linked still to the CAD structure. Then manufacturing 'transforms' the BOM with a tool in WC to create an MBOM. They can restructure, add parts, change quantities. The UI sucks but the function is there, its' just hard to use unless that's what you do all day.

image.png

Thanks for the example. That is a PLM managing the BOM!

[Ry-guy]

Current system, drawing based and manually built. Our BOMs are configurable so they often known as 150% or master BOMs. SolidWorks can't really build those and thus PDM can't really display it correctly.

On the Windchill side, engineering builds the EBOM starting with CAD data then adding additional components. It's a little wonky though and is partially linked still to the CAD structure. Then manufacturing 'transforms' the BOM with a tool in WC to create an MBOM. They can restructure, add parts, change quantities. The UI sucks but the function is there, its' just hard to use unless that's what you do all day.

image.png

Thanks for the example. That is a PLM managing the BOM!

[Diaval]

You can get some value from it if your SW BOM is THE BOM. You can view the SW BOM as it appears on the SW drawing from the PDM BOM tab but you have to select it every time from the drop down.

image.png

Other than that, yes the PDM BOM tab is useless if for no other reason than the BOM shows no item numbers and the order is based on the document ID of the files comprising it. So, basically the BOM rows are listed oldest parts to newest parts.

If you don't use the SWPDM computed BOM at all you can get the BOM tab to only show you the SW BOMs by removing the user permissions to the BOM column sets while leaving the folder permission of See computed BOM enabled. This will cause the BOM tab to only show the SW BOMs.