In this guide 6 sections
Before loading production software, give every item one code, one unit of measure and one description, then fix routings against real work centres. Set scrap allowances per operation and link customer part numbers. A control panel builder must first tag bought out parts such as MCCBs and contactors apart from fabricated items such as enclosures and busbar sets.
Why dirty masters break production software
Production software multiplies whatever you give it. A duplicate item becomes two stock balances, a wrong unit becomes a wrong purchase quantity, and a BOM with a missing line becomes a job that stalls mid-assembly.
Cleaning takes longer than loading. Plan for it. Spread the work between stores, purchase and the production head, because the storekeeper knows the bins, the buyer knows the suppliers and the production head knows the routing.
Export the current list to a spreadsheet and work there, never in the live system, so that every correction can be reviewed before it goes in.
- One code per physical item
- Duplicates merged
- Retired items marked inactive
- A named owner for each list
Items and units of measure
A control panel builder buys MCCBs, contactors, relays, terminal blocks, busbars and cable lugs, and it fabricates enclosures, mounting plates and busbar sets. Tag each item as bought out, fabricated or consumable.
Fix the unit once. Cable is bought by the drum and issued by the metre, while lugs arrive in packs and leave singly, so each item needs one base unit and a conversion.
Standardise descriptions too. Rating, make, pole count and frame size should sit in the same order every time, so a search finds one answer.
- Item code and short description
- Make, rating and model number
- Base unit and purchase conversion
- Bought out, fabricated or consumable
- Reorder level and lead time
Routings and work centres
A routing lists the operations a part passes through. For a mounting plate that means cutting, punching, bending, powder coating and then assembly, and each operation belongs to a work centre with a stated capacity.
Check each work centre against the floor. If wiring and testing are one team in practice, do not split them in the software, because a tidy model that ignores the shop floor will not be used.
Record setup time and run time per operation, even as a rough figure, because without them the scheduler can only guess the days a bending queue will take.
BOM levels and scrap allowances
The finished panel holds the enclosure, the busbar set, the wiring harness and the components, each of which may be a sub assembly with its own list. No child may sit under the wrong parent.
Scrap differs by operation. Sheet metal loses material in cutting, and cable loses length in crimping and trimming, so set a loss for each operation rather than one blanket figure.
Have the production head sign each BOM before loading, because a BOM nobody owns drifts within weeks of go live when someone swaps a relay make.
- Parent and child item codes
- Quantity per assembly
- Scrap allowance per operation
- Revision date and approver
Customer part numbers and the final check
Many customers quote their own part numbers and drawing references. Store them against your item code together with the drawing revision, otherwise an order arrives and the stores team cannot tell which panel it means.
Run three checks before loading. Does every BOM item exist in the item master? Does every routing operation have a work centre? Does every unit have a conversion? Fix errors in the spreadsheet.
Load one small product family first, build a trial job from it and compare the materials issued against what the floor used, down to each cable lug and ferrule. The first surprise belongs on a pilot.
Item master and BOM cleaning checklist
A two block worksheet. The first block has one row per item with code, description, make, base unit, conversion, type and owner. The second block has one row per routing operation with work centre, setup time, run time and scrap allowance. A tick column marks each row cleaned and signed.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How many items should we clean before going live?
Clean every active item and every BOM for products you will build soon, and archive the rest in a spreadsheet so old items can return with an order.
Do we need routings for bought out parts?
No. Routings apply to fabricated parts and assemblies. Bought out items such as MCCBs, relays and terminal blocks only need purchase details, namely supplier, lead time, unit and reorder level, because the shop never fabricates them.
What happens if units of measure are inconsistent?
Stock balances and purchase orders go wrong. Cable ordered in drums but issued in metres shows false shortages, and a purchase order for lugs in packs raises the wrong quantity unless a conversion is defined.
Who should own the item master?
One person, usually from stores, controls new codes. Production owns the BOMs and routings, purchase owns the supplier and lead time fields, and the owner of each list signs a change before any code is added.