Product Configurator Part 2 – BOMs and Routes

Introduction

This article is part two of a blog series (you can find part one here) covering the product configurator and will focus on the BOM and route section of the product configurator design. Before we get into the details of how to set this up for the product configurator, let us first discuss what BOMs and routes are within this context.

A BOM (bill of material) is a list of the raw materials that will go into a finished product. Think of it as an ingredient list. For example, a simple sandwich is made of bread, lettuce, and tomatoes. In this case, a turkey and ham sandwich have the same ingredients as a simple sandwich, aside from one change in the protein. In other words, even though everything is the same except for one component, it is an entirely different finished good. This is where the importance of the product configurator comes in. When a product has variations based on customer requirements, the finished good needs to be built and tracked. Allowing a product to be created based on specific requirements gives a company the flexibility to meet changing customer demands without flooding its finished product list with one of the required products.

With this context around what a BOM is and how the product configurator uses the creation of BOMs, we can now understand what a route is. If the BOM is the ingredient list, the route is the recipe steps. Based on the list of raw materials, the product needs to be assembled to reflect a customer’s requirements. A route created and changed from this input gives a company an advantage when making these products. This allows users not to have to adjust the route constantly on the production order or create new routes.

Now that we understand what BOMs and routes are and their benefits to production, we will discuss how we can utilize what the D365 product configurator offers to create BOMs and Routes for a product based on customer requirements and inputs.

BOMs

BOMs can be created based on the conditions of specific attributes being selected. When the user configures their product, a bill of materials can be made based on this certain variation. The requirements for the BOMs to be created follow a similar logic to the calculations section mentioned in the  .

Notes:

BOM lines must be created for each product that could be allowed to be used within the BOM. BOM lines with no conditions will be added to the BOM regardless of the configuration of the product

Example:

1. Navigate to Product information management > Products > Product configuration models and select the desired model ()
2. Expand the BOM lines section
3. To add a new line, click the Add button
4. Give the BOM line a name and description of what this line will be adding to the BOM. The name is a required field; however, the description is optional. It is best practice to give a detailed name and description if other users are expected to maintain this model.
5. Add the condition that will create this BOM line. If the condition set up is true based on the configuration, the BOM line will be added to a BOM; if not, it will be left off.

Figure 1

6. Within Figure 1, you can see two highlighted lines, one with a condition and one without.
   1. The Cloth grill condition says that if the attribute selection of FrontGrill is NOT Metal, then item number M0021 will be added to the BOM.
   2. The Cabinet line with no condition will add item M0008 into the BOM for every single configuration
7. Once you have your conditions set up, Save the model, and select the BOM line details for a line you want to set up; this will need to be done on a line-by-line basis.
8. The BOM line details are where the item that will be added to the BOM is selected, along with more information on the item.

Figure 2

1. The quantity and Unit that will be added to the BOM will be set up here. Quantity is a required field to be added to the BOM
2. There are two ways to drive this setup: Value and Attribute formulas.
   1. Value: Whatever value is placed in the field will be added to the BOM. For example, if ‘10’ is added to the quantity field, EA is selected on the Unit field, and both fields are Value formula based, 10 EAs will be added to the BOM
   2. Attribute: When the formula type of attribute is selected, instead of a value, the user will have the option of setting the value of this field to be the value of the chosen attribute. For example, you create a “Qty“ attribute with values {5,10, 15}. The quantity field is set up as displayed in Figure 2, which looks like this new attribute field. If the value of 10 is selected during the configuration of the product. 10 EAs of this item will be added to the
      BOM
3. The Route setup follows the same logic as the BOM setup. Each route operation will need a condition based on attribute selection to include the route operation within the Route. If no condition is set, the operation will be included within every Route created.
4. Values such as ‘Run time’ within the route operations setup can be attached to a calculation attribute. This will provide flexibility in creating an accurate route based on the selection of attributes.
5. One thing to keep in mind when creating the route operation details is to ensure the logic of Open no. and the Next operation are followed correctly. Not only does the route need the correct logic with the condition set up, but it will also need a logical chain of operations for the model to be correctly built.

The accurate creation of BOMs and routes is significant to the product configuration process due to the impact on pricing. There are two different pricing methods, one of which calculates pricing from BOM and route setup. Next, be on the lookout for part three, which details pricing.

If you are interested in speaking with our team to learn more, please fill out our contact form here.

Will Jones

William is a Dynamics 365 Consulting Senior Associate with experience in implementing D365 Finance and Supply Chain for customers. Focusing on the Industrials industry, Will's curiosity allows him to assist clients in a variety of areas to help improve their current business processes.