CIMdata highlights the need for modern Service Lifecycle Management solutions coupled with product lifecycle management (PLM) to successfully address the planning, design, production, and operation of long-life assets.
Service BOM
What is a service BOM (sBOM)?
A service BOM (sBOM), or service bill of materials, is a managed view of an asset’s parts that are serviceable or have an impact on service. The sBOM provides a neutral representation of a product with a defined set of OEM service-related definitions. Tightly coupling the service BOM to a physical BOM, which represents a specific instance of an asset, leads to accurate visibility of the physical asset configuration throughout its life. This visibility is critical to service lifecycle management (SLM), which orchestrates service and support of products in the field during their operational life.
Until recently, almost all manufacturers captured only a portion of the information now contained in a service BOM. Pertinent pieces of information were located in a disconnected parts catalog or as a BOM within the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. These information sources have not provided direct linkage to ongoing change processes, often resulting in discrepancies between captured data and the as-maintained asset in the field. An integrated service BOM overcomes these issues by directly linking to the engineering definition and providing a clear and accurate understanding of what parts need to be tracked and maintained.
The integrated service BOM as managed by a service lifecycle management system also can serve as input to an enterprise asset management (EAM) system. A combination of the sBOM and a service plan, which details the steps for servicing the components from the sBOM, provides the EAM with data needed to generate work orders. Once a work order has been executed, information generated by the associated service activities can be accessed by the SLM system. The sBOM is therefore an integral component in the SLM-EAM digital thread.
A field technician can benefit from accessing the service BOM as part of a Service Lifecycle Management solution
Functionality of the service BOM
Service BOM management through a service lifecycle management system can be used to:
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Define additional characteristics critical to service
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Expand the definition of purchased assemblies to include required serviceable items
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Define service kits to collect and manage loose parts that will be sold as service offerings
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Create and manage service assemblies to enable more efficient asset serviceability
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Define service specific items that may be required to perform service tasks
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Manage compatible upgrades within the defined configurations
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Derive integrated parts catalogs in various formats including interactive 3D
Benefits of the service BOM
The service BOM establishes the required foundational service data for a managed asset and enables downstream efficiencies and quality improvements to a manufacturer’s or service organization’s services strategy.
Additional benefits:
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Early collaboration of service stakeholders for early identification of material, configuration, or logistics issues
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Reduced inventory costs through clear visibility to latest part requirements minimizing inventory holds and reducing scrap rates of unneeded parts
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Improved efficiency of parts catalogs through automated creation and reuse of available data from service BOM
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Improved traceability and clarity of service impacts across the enterprise