Alternative materials

Multiple BOM variants are one way of defining that there are multiple different combinations of materials that can be used to produce this material.

However, the bill of material specified for the production order is valid for the entire order. If for example, one of the raw materials ran out part way through the order, but there was a valid alternative that could be used, the BOM is not flexible enough to handle this situation.

Defining multiple BOMs is also a master data overhead, and can take time to configure and manage.

Sometimes, it is possible to have a few variations of a similar materials, where the variations can be used if there is none of the planned material available. It is also possible to have the same Raw Materials delivered from separate suppliers, each with a different material number, despite them being the same material.

For these scenarios, alternative materials can be defined, without creating a new bill of material. MES successfully validates materials to be consumed if they are in the BOM, or if they are a valid alternative material for a material in the BOM.