Special Characteristics of Service BOMs/Routings
Because of the requirements of the service environment, service BOMs and routings have characteristics that distinguish them from standard manufacturing BOMs and routings.
Multiple BOMs and Routings
The major difference between manufacturing and service is that the service environment does not usually have a single way of doing things. Installation, repair, and maintenance reflect three service scenarios where different procedures requiring different item usage occur. But there can be other scenarios. A service organization can have several standard repair routings, not just one, reflecting typical problems encountered in the field.
You can associate three service BOMs and routings with a service item:
• Repair. Each type of repair typically has its own repair routing for procedures and repair BOM for items replaced during repair. Though repair steps can vary, the goal is to specify general repair steps that are always performed.
• PM. As with repairs, preventive maintenance (PM) visits also have a routing and bill of material. PM visits are different from repair situations. The PM routing defines standard procedures that need to be performed for a preventive maintenance visit. The PM BOM defines the items that you always replace or consume during a preventive maintenance visit.
• Installation. The operational steps and items used during an installation represent a third kind of standard BOM and routing that is different from repairs and preventive maintenance.
Note: Use Service Item Maintenance (11.3.7) to associate BOMs and routings with an item.
BOMs Associated with Operations
This proliferation of related BOMs and routings leads to a second distinction in the service environment. In manufacturing, the BOM is often set up so that you use parts of the BOM at various operation steps. This is facilitated by the one-to-one relationship between a BOM and a routing.
In the service environment, since there can be several routings, the operation that uses an item may not be numbered the same in each. To accommodate this difference, the system links service BOMs to operations rather than linking operations to BOMs. You can create shorter BOMs listing the items used during a standard operations or routing step. You can then specify these BOM codes in the appropriate step on the routing.
Unique Codes
You typically identify manufacturing BOMs and routings with the same code as the associated item. You must identify service BOMs and routings with unique codes. You cannot use inventory item numbers.