Imagine a scenario where your manufacturing process entails the production of sub-assembly items prior to the completion of the final product. How should you effectively manage the Bill of Materials (BOM)?

Primarily, you must establish BOMs for the sub-assemblies, and subsequently link these BOMs to the BOM of the ultimate finished product. As illustrated in the screenshot below, the BOM for Brush Bristles (subassembly) is connected to the BOM of the Shaving Brush (final product). This linkage is evident in the Materials table within the Bill of Materials master.

While the ‘Materials’ table exclusively displays the sub-assemblies, the ‘Materials Required (Exploded)’ table showcases all the raw materials essential for manufacturing the final product.

To employ multi-level BOM functionality in a Work Order, ensure the ‘Use Multi-Level BOM’ checkbox is activated. By default, this option is enabled. If you intend to plan materials for sub-assemblies of the Item being manufactured, it’s advisable to retain this setting. Conversely, if you plan and execute the manufacturing of sub-assemblies separately, you can disable this checkbox.

Caution

However, it’s imperative to exercise caution when updating the BOM of a sub-assembly. Any component incorporating the sub-assembly with an updated BOM must be amended to reference the modified BOM for that component. Practically, altering a component within a low-level assembly will trigger a cascade of updates throughout the BOM structure.