BOM Measurements

  • 15 minutes

BOM measurements are a type of configuration. The following dimensions can be specified as BOM measurements:

  • Height
  • Width
  • Depth
  • Density

You can use measurement configurations to reduce the number of BOM versions. In other words, you only have to create one BOM version for a group of items in which the only variation between them is in their measurements.

For example, a company manufactures nested tables in sets of three. Each table is identical in terms of its production processes and materials. The tables only differ from one another with respect to their height, width, and depth. By using measurement configurations, these nested tables can be produced by using one BOM.

You can also use the rounding-up method for guiding how measurements and consumption are applied.

BOM measurements defined on BOM lines

Because all the BOM components that are required to make one finished product are shown on the BOM lines, and each BOM line must contain information on the planning, calculation, and consumption of the materials, you can also specify the following parameters:

  • Whether the item has any configurations

  • What the configurations are

Measurement configurations can then be used when you're calculating the consumption of the raw material of each BOM line.

Example - Consumption calculation based on size

A company offers a speaker cabinet in various sizes, such as 16x38 inches, 14x36 inches, and 18x50 inches. This cabinet requires the same components during production, but depending on the selected size of the finished part, the quantity of some components are different.

If the BOM measurements functionality is used, only one BOM is created and used for all different sizes. The finished cabinet provides the required dimensions, and each BOM line uses these dimensions to calculate the appropriate quantity of component items that can be used during production.

Set up measurement configurations

Measurement configurations are defined on the Setup tab of the BOM line page. Select Product information and management > Bills of materials and formulas > Bills of materials. Select a BOM and then, on the lines, select the Setup tab and enter the following information:

  • The measurement dimension formula that is used to calculate the consumption of material.

  • Whether the calculation is to be rounded. If it's, specify how and by which factor.

  • The relevant measurement dimensions in the Measurement group.

When the setup is complete, you can calculate the consumption by running a BOM calculation or a cost estimation.

Options for consumption calculation are:

  • Standard - The consumption isn't proportional to any dimension of the finished product, and the value that is entered in the Quantity field is the number that is used for the finished product.

  • Height * Constant - The consumption is proportional to the height only.

  • Height * Width * Constant - The consumption is proportional to the height and width.

  • Height * Width * Depth * Constant - The consumption is proportional to the height, width, and depth.

  • (Height * Width * Depth/Density) * Constant - The consumption is proportional to the height, width, and depth/density.

Consumption options that are used for measurement are:

  • Variable - The number of units in the finished product is proportional to the number of items produced. Variable consumption is calculated in the following way: Production Quantity x Quantity (in the BOM) = Consumption (variable). The unit consumption is equal to the quantity in the BOM.
  • Constant - This option is a fixed volume/quantity that is required for the production, regardless of quantity produced.

The Flushing principle determines how the component is consumed. If you leave this field blank, the Flushing principle setting on the item is used. The options in this field are:

  • Start - Automatic consumption is enabled when the user updates a production order to the start phase.
  • Finish - Automatic consumption is enabled when the user updates a production order to the report as finished phase.
  • Manual - Consumption isn't registered automatically. It must be entered manually on the picking list.

Rounding-up options

The following are the rounding-up options:

  • No - Rounding-up isn't used.

  • Quantity - When you're rounding-up according to quantity, the quantity must be a multiple of the given quantity.

  • Measurement - Rounding-up according to measurements is used when a raw material comes in specific dimensions.

  • Consumption - When you're rounding-up according to consumption, the estimated consumption is rounded up so that it's divisible by the number of units that the raw material comes in.

Screenshot of the Rounding drop down list on the Bills of materials page.

Example

Paint is stored in inventory in 25-quart cans. When it's taken from inventory, it's taken in 25-quart increments. In this case, the user selects rounding-up according to Consumption and sets multiples to 25. The production quantity for the finished product is 20 units, and two quarts of paint are used for each unit. Consumption is calculated as 20 units x 2 quarts = 40 quarts.

When rounding-up to a multiple of 25, the user determines that 50 quarts of paint are required. When the user rounds up according to Consumption, excess consumption, or scrap, 10 quarts are automatically calculated.

Measurement conversion factor

Conversion factors are mathematical calculations that represent the difference between standard product measurements and BOM component measurements.

To calculate the consumption of raw materials, specify conversion factors for the height, width, depth, and density, if these values are proportional to those that are specified. This specification can be done in the following locations:

  • On the BOM line when a calculation is run
  • In the production order when a cost estimation is run

Fields on the Dimension tab of the BOM line page show the conversion factors that are included in the measurement calculation together with the dimension of the finished product.

Example 1

A company stocks metal in 3 x 1-meter sheets. When a lamp is created, the BOM requires 1 x 0.75 meters of sheet metal. The conversion factor in this example is 0.333 for height and 0.75 for width (1/3 = 0.3333 and 0.75/1 = 0.75).

These amounts are added to the BOM component lines. When consumption is calculated for the item, the standard measurements are multiplied by the conversion factors. This calculation causes BOM component consumption (quantity).

Example 2

At the USMF company, the stain - front speaker mount for the enclosure front speaker mount 18X50 inches has a standard height dimension of 2 (feet). After monitoring the speaker mount, the production team has determined that for BOM 7037-1-1, the front speaker mount has a height dimension of 3 (feet). The conversion factor for the BOM component is 1.5 (3/2).

Oscar, the Process engineer, is asked to update the dimensions that were discovered by the production team on both the item and the BOM, and then run the calculation for 1 and then for 50 items to determine the difference in consumption.