The product recipe.
What Is a Bill of Materials (BOM)? And Why Siemens Teamcenter Is the Backbone of Modern BOM Management.
A bill of materials (BOM) defines the materials, components, and quantities required to manufacture a product. But in modern manufacturing, a BOM is far more than a static parts list, it is the digital backbone of production planning, procurement, cost control, and change management.
As products grow more complex and configurable, effective BOM management becomes a core function of product lifecycle management (PLM). This is where Siemens Teamcenter plays a critical role.
What is a BOM, and why it matters.
A BOM creates alignment between:
- Engineering: What is designed.
- Manufacturing: How it’s built.
- Procurement: What must be sourced.
- Inventory: What is stocked and consumed.
When paired with production routings, the BOM becomes a complete product recipe, combining materials with the processes, resources, and timing required to manufacture the product efficiently and repeatedly.
What is BOM management?
BOM management is not a one-time task. It spans the entire lifecycle of a product, from concept through production, service, and retirement. In Teamcenter, BOM management is embedded directly into PLM, ensuring every stakeholder works from a single, governed source of truth.
Creating the BOM (EBOM → MBOM) – In Teamcenter:
- Engineers define the Engineering BOM (EBOM) directly from CAD.
- Manufacturing teams transform EBOMs into Manufacturing BOMs (MBOMs) without duplicating data.
- Design intent is preserved while manufacturing-specific structures, tooling, and sequencing are applied.
This eliminates manual re-entry, Excel-based handoffs, and version confusion.
Structuring the BOM – Teamcenter supports:
- Single-level BOMs for simple products,
- Multi-level BOMs for complex assemblies and subassemblies.
- Variant and option structures for configurable products.
The structure is intelligent, traceable, and scalable, regardless of product complexity.
Adding Routings and Manufacturing Context – Teamcenter connects BOMs to:
- Manufacturing processes.
- Work instructions.
- Tools, machines, and labor resources.
When integrated with Tecnomatix, manufacturers can simulate production flows, validate cycle times, and optimize capacity, before anything hits the shop floor.
Integrating the BOM with Inventory and Procurement – Teamcenter does not replace and ERP, it feeds clean, controlled data. With Teamcenter:
- Procurement sees approved, released BOMs only.
- Material requirements are accurate and revision-aware.
- Engineering changes are automatically flagged for supply chain impact.
This prevents last-minute shortages, excess inventory, and emergency expediting costs.
Enabling Product Variants and Customization – Teamcenter supports:
- Configurable BOMs.
- Option and variant logic.
- Matrix-style product families.
Instead of managing hundreds of near-duplicate BOMs, manufacturers manage one intelligent structure that adapts to customer requirements, without losing control.
Managing BOM Revisions and Change Control – This is where Teamcenter clearly outperforms spreadsheets, basic ERP tools, and disconnected systems. Teamcenter provides:
- Full revision control.
- A formal engineering change process.
- An impact analysis across design, manufacturing, and procurement.
- Complete audit trails for compliance and traceability.
Everyone knows what changed, when, why, and who approved it.
Benefits of effective Teamcenter BOM management.
- Standardization and Consistency: Teamcenter enforces standardized product structures, ensuring products are built the same way, every time.
- Elimination of Engineering–Manufacturing Disconnects: EBOMs and MBOMs stay aligned, reducing shop-floor confusion and rework.
- Supply Chain Accuracy: Procurement works from approved, current data, no surprises, no fire drills.
- Better Planning and Scheduling: Accurate BOMs + routings = realistic schedules and fewer disruptions.
- Cost Visibility and Control: Material, labor, and process costs are visible early, before margins erode.
- Improved Quality and Reduced Waste: Repeatable processes reduce scrap, rework, and warranty risk.
- End-to-End Traceability: Lot tracking, compliance, recalls, and root-cause analysis are fully supported.
Why Teamcenter instead of “ERP-Only” BOM management.
ERP systems are excellent at executing manufacturing, but they are not designed to define and govern product structures. Teamcenter:
- Owns product definition.
- Manages design and manufacturing intent.
- Controls change before it becomes costly.
- Feeds ERP clean, validated data.
This division of responsibility is how best-in-class manufacturers scale without chaos.
Discover the Teamcenter advantage, the single source of truth for your BOMs.