Phantom BOMs and How They Drive Production
The depth of manufacturing reaches beyond linear production. Layers of sub assemblies within sub assemblies are required to build a complete finished product, but the confusion and setbacks from multi level BOMs tends to slow down production if the specifications aren’t laid out properly. Multi level BOMs are essential to complex build operations, so disregarding their necessity would be foolish, but there is a way to model your manufacturing process that allows you to work through sub assemblies that continues to drive production.
Phantom BOMs, or phantom assemblies, are groups of materials and sub assemblies for a top level finished good. When modeling phantom BOMs, the entire bill of materials is picked and built regardless of the complexity of the sub assemblies within that BOM. Instead of dealing with internal sub orders for each sub assembly for top level BOMs, the phantom BOM disregards the sequential sub assemblies for a top level BOM and spreads out all materials for that order onto one level. The material requirements for a phantom assembly would include all components of its subassemblies. By spreading out all materials of a complex work order onto one level, you allow a more structured organization of the bill of materials, without adding a list of sub orders.
For many manufacturing companies it is logical for their shop floor employees to gather all materials for a BOM, build sub assemblies, and move all parts to different work locations as needed, so if tracking sub assemblies as their own separate work order is not a critical element to your product line management, then phantom BOMs are your solution to create a fast paced manufacturing production line.
Cetec ERP is a robust manufacturing software solution that handles both subassembly orders and phantom BOMs. Cetec molds and flexes to your detailed manufacturing requirements. Sign up for a free trial to find out for yourself, or contact one of our product experts to discuss your ERP requirements.