Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1406534
SEPTEMBER 2021 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 15 matches the original intent to build the prod- uct and is accurately represented and synchro- nized in ERP and MES. It is then good to re- cord the transition from the original BOM of design through to the final BOM that's used for manufacturing—the digital thread of BOM management, if you like. If you have that under control, then you're fine. Johnson: Which begs the question: Between the OEM or a design team, who owns the BOM? Ford: Initially, the designer does, because they are the person who is choosing the device that meets the design need. Design is not primari- ly for manufacturing; design is for making the product to be what it needs to be. e designer, however, may not understand that he's using a component which is tightly spec'd, in short supply, and extremely expensive. e procure- ment team from manufacturing comes along and suggests, "Why don't you just use this al- ternative, which is far less expensive, and does the same job?" But does it really do the same job in this specific application? We normally see that there should be a prod- uct manager who is managing this situation. e product manager should be able to make recommendations or accept advice, based on the designer's intent, and other business-driv- en factors. e next question is whether this function of the product manager needs to be a human, or could it be digitalized or automat- ed? Maybe a hybrid of the two. Once you start to capture the design intent digitally, and you can utilize your MBD-based library of knowl- edge for the information of all materials that fulfill that same function, it could become pos- sible. is function can also be used in the de- sign process, showing the designer usable al- ternatives. is comes down to automation and interoperability throughout the design and manufacturing flow. So, who ultimate- ly owns the bill of materials? It's the product manager. Johnson: And not procurement? Ford: No, not if ownership represents respon- sibility, because procurement should not make a BOM change decision independently. ey must follow a set of rules, recommendations, guidelines, and confirmations, derived from the original design intent. ey can change the material supplier. ey can even change a part number if that is the way to change a suppli- er, but the specification and function of that component must be approved. Procurements are merely changing the representation of the BOM. Procurement cannot be the owner be- cause they don't have the responsibility to en- sure that the product will work. at still needs to be verified by our either human or artificial intelligence-based product manager. Matties: When you have a company that's not a digital twin company, what's the best way for them to streamline their BOM process? Is it to go digital? Ford: Yes, absolutely. e IPC-2581 standard is the best and easiest to use in my opinion, and has been around for a long time, so is mature. IPC-2581 is open, the only real industry stan- dard. It includes both the design BOM and the manufacturing BOM as well as the design it- self. e limitation, of course, is with the im- plementation across different solutions. For