Automated Bill of Materials Refactoring via Historical Data Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of products made from multiple sub-assemblies and basic parts has made it difficult for businesses to recognize common sub-assemblies and refactor bills of materials efficiently, leading to redundant entries and opportunities for errors.
Innovation Solution
An automated method and apparatus for bill of materials refactoring that uses historical data from computing systems to identify and propose refactored sub-assemblies, allowing for user confirmation and implementation, thereby reducing redundancy and improving accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual refactoring of bills of materials is performed, then flexibility and customization options are maintained, but user input redundancy increases and errors occur more frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically scanning historical bill of materials data, inventory data, and sales data to identify potential refactored sub-assemblies without requiring manual user input. The computing system autonomously processes the data, applies refactoring logic, and generates refactored bills of materials, thereby eliminating redundancy and errors associated with manual entry while maintaining accuracy.
2Productivity
If computing systems automatically identify refactored sub-assemblies, then productivity and speed increase, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The computing system is designed with multi-functionality to handle diverse data sources including historical bill of materials data, inventory data, and sales data. The system performs multiple functions: data scanning, data analysis, sub-assembly identification, refactoring logic application, and output generation. This universal design consolidates complex operations into a single system that can process various data types and perform multiple tasks, managing complexity through integration rather than proliferation of separate systems.
3Manufacturing precision
If detailed hierarchical bills of materials are maintained, then manufacturing precision and inventory tracking improve, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring common sub-assemblies increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes feedback by scanning historical bill of materials data, inventory data, and sales data to identify patterns and commonalities across multiple products. The computing system analyzes this feedback information to detect recurring sub-assembly configurations, thereby automatically identifying common sub-assemblies that would be difficult to recognize manually in detailed hierarchical structures. This feedback-driven approach maintains manufacturing precision while overcoming the difficulty of detection through automated pattern recognition.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for automated bill of materials refactoring includes a computing system implemented process for automated bill of materials refactoring whereby historical bill of materials, inventory and sales data is scanned/searched to identify potential refactored sub-assemblies.