Multi-level BOM Import From CAD Software into the MRP System

Recently, several our customers launched complex products, designed in CAD software. The projects consisted of many components and many levels of nesting. It was necessary to move the multi-level BOM from the CAD software into the MRP system.

Several important points were discovered during these transfers of this multi-level BOM. Therefore, we will describe the process of importing BOM into MRPeasy BOM software, highlighting what you need to pay attention to.

Specifics of Multi-level BOM

When you print out a multi-level BOM, it may seem very complex. However, it is important to understand that it can be decomposed into a set of simple one-level BOMs.

BOM is a list of parts that are needed to produce a product or an assembly. If the BOM lists only the details of which the product is directly composed, then this is a one-level BOM. If a part is produced inside the company, then it will have its own BOM. If the BOM of the final product includes the BOMs of its components, it is a multi-level BOM.

Thus, a multi-level BOM is simply one way to represent BOM. Every multi-level BOM can be represented by several single-level BOMs. So, when you want to import a multi-level BOM, you are truly importing just many one-level BOM: one for the final product and one for every component, or subassembly, built in-house.

Importing the BOM into MRPeasy

Advanced CAD programs allow exporting the BOM into an Excel file. Then, it can be imported into MRPeasy. Different CAD programs output different data formats; therefore, some principles must be considered.

1. If the exported file is in XLS(x) format, it should be saved to CSV format, which is more universal. This can be done in Excel.
2. MRPeasy allows you to import many BOMs at once. The import could be one product with a multilevel BOM or BOM of several different products. To know which product includes the part, the product number must be on each line of the CSV file. The user manual contains a detailed description of how to import a BOM from a CSV – file. ( https://www.mrpeasy.com/documentation/production-planning/bills-of-materials/import).

What to Look for When Importing a Multi-level BOM

1. If the imported BOM is missing a part, check the line with this part in the CSV file. The product number should be included on the line.
2. It is important that the parent product’s (or assembly’s) number is listed in the ‘product numbers’ column. If the part is a component of an assembly, then the assembly number is the ‘product number’ for that part.
3. If the multi-level BOM has 2 or more levels of nesting and one “subcomponent” is a part of several components, it is necessary that the subcomponent’s BOM is represented only one time in the CSV file. This is important since the program imports all rows in the CSV file. Therefore, if the same is found in the CSV file several times, the items will be added to the BOM several times.

We hope that this post, based on our experience, helps you quickly and smoothly import your sophisticated products from your CAD software to our MRP system.