MBOM Management: Keeping Manufacturing Aligned with Product Changes
Engineering and manufacturing work from the same product, but they don’t look at it the same way.
The engineering bill of materials (EBOM) describes the product as designed.
The manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM) takes that product and organizes it around how it will be built.
The two aren’t meant to be identical. The real challenge is keeping them aligned when the product changes.
A change in the EBOM can mean changes to the MBOM and the manufacturing plan behind it. If those changes aren’t managed properly, manufacturing can end up working with information that no longer matches the product.
That is why MBOM management becomes critical.
When Engineering Changes the Product, Manufacturing Has to Respond
When engineering changes the product, manufacturing has to understand what that change means for the way the product is built.
For the manufacturing planner, that can mean answering a few practical questions:
- Does the MBOM need to be updated?
- Are other assemblies or parts affected?
- Does the BOP (Bill of Process) need to change?
- Are the resources or equipment (BOE) still correct?
- Do existing work instructions need to be updated?
If there’s no real connection between the EBOM and MBOM, answering those questions can become a manual exercise. The planner may have to compare the two, revision by revision, to work out what changed and what else might be affected.
That takes time. And it’s easy to miss something.
Example:
A small engineering change can create a much bigger manufacturing problem.
Say a bracket is redesigned and the new version replaces the old one in the EBOM. The part itself is updated, but the change may also mean:
- A different BOP operation is needed for assembly
- A fixture or equipment needs to be changed
- Work instruction still shows the old bracket
If the manufacturing planner doesn’t catch those dependencies, the issue may only surface when the new part reaches the shop floor.
The engineering change was simple. The manufacturing impact wasn’t.
What effective MBOM management should help you do
Effective MBOM management should make it easier for manufacturing planners to work from the right product information and understand what changes mean for manufacturing.
It should help them:
- Start with the latest engineering definition of the product
- Create and maintain the manufacturing view while keeping it connected to engineering
- Compare the EBOM and MBOM to see what has changed and where they are out of sync
- Identify affected parts, assemblies and manufacturing information when the product changes
- Understand the manufacturing impact of engineering changes
- Update the MBOM and related manufacturing information based on those changes
- Manage product configurations and variants while maintaining EBOM–MBOM alignment
- Keep the MBOM aligned with engineering as the product evolves
💡Manufacturing planners need a reliable product definition without having to repeatedly compare engineering and manufacturing information manually
The MBOM Management factsheet outlines the key capabilities for keeping the MBOM aligned with engineering, understanding the impact of product changes and maintaining an accurate manufacturing view as the product evolves.
How Teamcenter Easy Plan supports MBOM management
Teamcenter Easy Plan, a web and role-based and task-oriented manufacturing planning solution enables manufacturing planners to define and manage the MBOM directly in the context of the EBOM.
MBOM management in Teamcenter Easy Plan helps:
- Reconcile the EBOM and MBOM using a side-by-side comparison view
- See what changed between engineering and manufacturing with the Change Summary Panel
- Identify inconsistencies that need attention with Accountability Checks
- Understand the manufacturing impact of engineering changes with Manufacturing Change Impact
- Manage changes with traceability to keep engineering and manufacturing information connected
- Keep the MBOM aligned as the product evolves
Together, these capabilities help manufacturing planning teams see the change, understand its impact, manage the response and keep the MBOM aligned with the product as it evolves.
