An object-oriented bill of materials system for dynamic product management

Abstract

In this paper, the bill of materials (BOM) system is defined as the central hub of a general product data management (PDM) system that provides essential data for running a manufacturing system to produce products. Information that is relevant to products and their components is defined in the BOM. The information is critically related to data from product design, manufacturing planning, production management, procurement, inventory control, and accounting within a company. A conventional BOM structure (or product configuration), which manages data only in a stand-alone relational database management style, cannot satisfy the needs requested by all departments within a company. A BOM should relate to and communicate with other domains of the information system. In this research, a newly designed BOM system uses the object-oriented programming (OOP) concept to represent product information. The object-oriented BOM (OOBOM) system can capture and encapsulate data that will simultaneously serve the information needs of various departments. In order to manage product data dynamically, the system provides several interfaces for easy data access and manipulation. The linkage between BOM and its corresponding CAD/CAM system is enabled through the X-window manager: thus an integrated PDM environment is developed. This product management approach improves the consistency and efficiency of product data representation.

Comparison of shipbuilding and construction industries from the product structure standpoint

“…In practice, the PS can encompass various data types -such as specification documents or geometric representations of a given part -as shown in the example of the multi-view PS shown in Figure 5. Trappey et al (1996) identified at least ten major data types and functions including product definition, service parts support, material purchase planning, assembly sequence, order entry facility, resource analysis, pricing, cost analysis, manufacturing instruction and engineering change control. For product design and manufacturing management purposes, PLM systems offer, in addition to the PS manager, a workflow engine which "according to the product structure, sends the right available data at the right time to the right user" (Eynard et al, 2004).…”

Gestão da produção em foco: volume 19

“…Por compartilhar suas informações entre quase todos os departamentos da empresa, a BOM ainda funciona como um importante elemento de integração dos sistemas de manufatura adotados (TRAPPEY et al, 1996).…”

Comparing PLM and BIM from the Product Structure Standpoint

“…In practice the Product Structure can encompass various data types. Trappey et al [24] identified at least 10 major data types and functions including product definition, service parts support, material purchase planning, assembly sequence, order entry facility, resource analysis, pricing, cost analysis, manufacturing instruction, and engineering change control. For product design and manufacturing management purposes, PLM systems require, in addition to the product structure manager, a workflow engine which "according to the product structure, sends the right available data at the right time to the right user" [23].…”