Setting up a Configurable Model using Variant Configuration
Objective
After completing this lesson, you will be able to set up a Configurable Model with Variant Configuration.
Set up a Configurable BOM
When and Why to Use a Configurable BOM
Up to now, you have only produced forklifts in one configuration in your company.
Now you are considering manufacturing your forklifts in different variants. However, you do not want to offer a BOM for each variant, but want to map all possible variants in a configurable BOM.
To do this, you need a suitable material, a routing and the super BOM.
You also want to define suitable object dependencies for this.
Applicable Process Steps
Product Configuration Modeler: Create characteristics for class (to be used for variant configuration)
Product Configuration Modeler: Create class (to be used for variant configuration)
Master Data Specialist: Assign class to product
Product Configuration Modeler: Create variant table and maintain content
Product Configuration Modeler: Create configuration profile and assign a grouping
Product Configuration Modeler: Create constraint net
Product Configuration Modeler: Create and assign high-level dependencies
Production Engineer: Create super BOM and add stock and class node items
Production Engineer: Add low level dependencies to the super BOM
Reduce costs and optimize usability with sophisticated variant configuration
Increase sales force efficiency by higher tool support within order configuration to allow the sales force to focus on selling
Increase modeling efficiency for new configured product modeling by effective simulation of new product variants and options
Reduce time to market for new products by advanced variant configuration modeling and effective simulation of new product variants and options
Establish efficient collaboration between requirements management and modeler
Note
This process flow is covered in scope Item: 22T- Setting up a configurable BOM using Variant Configuration.
How to configure a configurable BOM
Introduction: Setting up a configurable BOM
Up to now, you have worked with configurable BOMs and materials that have already been created by your engineering colleagues. Now you are considering completing this configuration task yourself and defining object dependencies.
Task 1: Create a header Material, a Routing and assign Object Dependencies
The first step is to create a configurable material, done by Product Master Specialist Marie. Next Product Configuration Modeler Andrea creates a Routing and connects existing Object Dependencies. The required super BOM is created at a later point in time.
Task 2: Create a Characteristic, a Class and assign it to the configurable Material
After Product Configuration Modeler Andrea and Product Master Specialist Marie have checked the Object Dependencies of the Routing, Andrea now has the task of creating a Characteristic and a Class.
The following video demonstrates this task.
Task 3.1: Create VC Objects with the Product Modeling Environment PART 1
After the first master data has been created in the previous tasks, this section deals with defining suitable Variant Configuration objects for the header material. These are Variant tables, Constraints, a Configuration Profile or Object Dependencies.
The following video demonstrates this task.
Task 3.2: Create VC Objects with the Product Modeling Environment PART 2
In the previous part Product Configuration Modeler Andrea has entered the first data in the product modeling environment. Now she wants to continue their work inside product modeling environment.
The following video demonstrates this task.
Task 4: Create configurable BOM
After the necessary Object Dependencies have been created by the Product Configuration Modeler Andrea and assigned to the configurable Material, Production Engineer Anna now has the task of creating the Super BOM. The appropriate Routing has already been created together with the material in the first step.
The following video demonstrates this task.
Task 5: Perform a super BOM simulation
After the master data has been created in the form of a configurable Material a super BOM and Routing, also Object Dependencies have been defined. Now a Sales Order could be created and the valuation could be carried out.
However, before a Sales Order is created and a Characteristic value assignment is carried out, Andrea should test whether a Characteristic value assignment leads to the correct components in the Plan and Production order. Therefore, a BOM explosion should be tested depending on a valuation.
The following video demonstrates this task.
Task 6: Maintain a Dependency and simulate the configurable BOM
After the super BOM has been created and tested successfully by Andrea in the previous task, an adjustment in the form of a Procedure is now to be made again. A high-level dependency is generated and then simulated again directly.
The following video demonstrates this task.
Now you should have an impression of "How to set up a configurable BOM ".