Keeping Your BOMs Error-Free

Now that we’ve discussed a BOM-building strategy that simplifies the use of BOMs in a workplace, keeping your BOMs simple and up-to-date is the next responsibility. For BOMs to be reliable they need to be free from errors that can instigate a misunderstanding by users. BOMs that contain errors and give workers incorrect information can lead to major disruptions within a business. Moreover, when constructing your BOMs, make sure to follow these guidelines to build a BOM that you can depend on in the long-run.

Spreadsheets? Absolutely Not.

To begin, many organizations use spreadsheets to manually input maintenance BOM data. Doing so is not only time consuming, but invites the human error factor into your materials lists. Spreadsheets can be effective in smaller or mid-sized businesses that manage a small variety of materials. The complexity of spreadsheets can make it difficult for workers to find spare parts as they will have to sift through multiple sheets to find what they are looking for without assurance that it is accurate and up-to-date.

Consistent Formatting Across the Board

Formatting through consistent naming conventions helps make things clearer for workers. If on the other hand, an employee formats certain parts one way and another employee formats parts another way then it can lead to a lot of confusion. If spares data is incorrectly interpreted as a result of inconsistent formatting then it can lead to errors when new materials data is created based on that interpretation. Aside from standardized materials naming conventions, it’s also key to have consistently named and formatted parts descriptions, manufacturer names, file names and more.

Pay Attention to the BOM-Building Process

Lastly, keeping tabs on the progress of your BOMs being built is critical to its long-term reliability. In doing so, you’re preventing errors from occurring which keeps users on the same page with various materials. In addition, this also avoids the occurrence of duplicate and obsolete parts that can render your BOMs undependable.

How We Can Help

NRX AssetHub can reduce the amount of time it takes for you to build BOMs and provide a cloud based interface that can allow you to easily keep track of the BOM building process to prevent errors from occurring. To learn more about how we can help to build or improve BOMs, contact us to book a demo or download our brochure.