CONTRACT MANUFACTURING
A dynamic bill of materials is essential to avoid manufacturing supply chain disruption
Sarah Eddowes, director, Agile Electronics S
ecuring continued product production requires constant attention: Component shortages and changes in material supply flow caused by geo-political influences as well as changing infrastructure, energy, and shipping costs are affecting sources of supply globally. For example, OEM’s and CEM’s can no longer single source semiconductors from China, second and even third fabrication sources across the globe must be found to ensure continued and approved supply.
It is no longer enough for a buyer to go out to tender to fulfil the requirements of the bill of materials (BOM) required to manufacture a product, place orders, file it away, and move on to the next project. New and especially mature product bills of materials used for manufacturing should be under constant scrutiny to avoid production delays or stops due to component shortages and or obsolescence.
Suppliers of components used in a product must be regularly interrogated to discover any supply chain problems or end of life concerns. It is essential for a buyer to have the ability to make a last time buy of components reaching end of life for any reason, or factor in a design change before end of life, to ensure continued production.
A practical solution to this is to carry out a regular BOM Scrub to reduce the risk of any manufacturing disruptions caused by any inconsistencies, errors, or potential shortages. This ensures the specified part numbers are correct and procurable. Both OEMs and CEMs should carry out regular BOM reviews to ensure timely notice of any component problems.
A BOM Scrub is a vital process for all manufacturers and is essential for lean front- end processing. The process offers buyers reassurance that every component listed in the BOM is correct, authentic, traceable, and available. This ensures delays in manufacturing due to either obsolescence, short supply or allocation.
Reference points for a BOM Scrub should include:
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Life cycle report for each component.
Quantities available through franchised distribution.
Cross reference and alternatives if required.
Ensuring correct manufacturers part number have been used.
Commodity codes and Chief Operation Officer (COO) data. RoHS and REACH data. Market lead time.
Last Time Buy (LTB) data.
Shortages and changes in component supply flow have consequences for new designs as well as mature product manufacture:
Designers of new products should be encouraged to engage with their buying departments as early as possible to check with suppliers about security of supply for key components.
It is often the case that new designs are FEBRUARY 2024 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
evolved from existing products to keep up with changing standards or market requirements. Whether this is the case, or a completely new design is being developed, it is not unusual for design engineers to continue to use components and topologies that they have experience with and are at least familiar with. By the time a new product reaches the component procurement stage, it will have passed through a number of design iterations, EMC compliance, and safety testing. If the product has not been designed for manufacture or employs vulnerable components, then it may require costly circuit and PCB redesign, as well as additional testing. The solution to this is not only checking the prototype for desired performance, but also checking the BOM to ensure secure component supply for the expected lifetime. Working with a specialist supply chain solutions company can avoid vulnerable new designs and component shortages for existing products.
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