Restructuring the bill of material for productivity: A strategic evaluation of product configuration

Traditional structuring of the bill of material may limit its use in manufacturing applications; however, restructuring the bill permits additional business planning and other applications, though at a cost. This study evaluates methods of bill of material structuring, or more broadly, configuration management. It defines the concept of configuration management, notes traditional and current methods of structuring the bill of material, then reports findings of a study that evaluated bill of material structure. “The bill of material is the Achilles heal of making our factories more competitive”. (Garwood, 1988:45)