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Small and medium business | Business Central, N...
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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

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Are there certain situations, industries whereby use of of phantom bill of materials may not be useful in practice and it is best to resort to making assemblies first? Can long cycle or complex manufacturing processes be one of many reasons?
  • Gerardo Rentería García Profile Picture
    19,644 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Use of Phantom BoM in practice
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    Ramesh Kumar Profile Picture
    5,052 on at
    Use of Phantom BoM in practice
    Its has depends on the what your current process is and how you want to setup. As every organization is different
     
    Thanks!
    Ramesh
  • Ben Baxter Profile Picture
    5,804 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at
    Use of Phantom BoM in practice
    I think it is funny that two of the AI bot accounts responded with the exact same response.  Clearly they use the same AI tool.

    In this case the information they provided is accurate on when to consider Phantom BOMs vs. a full sub-assembly.
     
    Best Regards,
    Ben Baxter
    Accent Software Inc
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    YUN ZHU Profile Picture
    84,216 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at
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    RockwithNav Profile Picture
    7,041 on at
    Use of Phantom BoM in practice
    I wont be saying there's any so called rulebooks not to use or to use, it all depends how exactly you are executing your manufacturing process and how much each the customer is having to take the process into accountability.
     
    It's used massively now a days as same phantoms can be applied to multiple BOMS which makes it easier to handle.
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    Mansi Soni Profile Picture
    3,385 on at
    Use of Phantom BoM in practice
    Hello,
     
    Yes, there are certain situations and industries where using a phantom bill of materials (BOM) may not be practical, and it's more appropriate to create assemblies or production orders instead. Phantom BOMs are typically used to simplify the structure of a BOM by grouping components without requiring a separate production step.
     
    However, in industries with long cycle times, complex manufacturing processes, or strict quality control requirements - such as aerospace, automotive, pharmaceuticals, or heavy machinery - it is often necessary to track intermediate assemblies separately for scheduling, traceability, costing, or compliance purposes.
     
    In such cases, using phantom BOMs could oversimplify the production process and lead to inefficiencies or loss of critical production data. Therefore, creating separate assemblies with their own production orders allows for better control, tracking, and planning in complex or regulated manufacturing environments.
     
     
    Hope this answer will help you!
     
    Regards,
    Mansi Soni 
     
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    Montassar Krichi Profile Picture
    157 on at
    Use of Phantom BoM in practice
    Hi,
    Yes, there are situations and industries where phantom Bills of Materials (BOMs) are not practical or effective, and it is better to explicitly manufacture or assemble subassemblies before use. Here’s a breakdown of when and why this is the case.
     
    Phantom BOMs work well in lean, repetitive, or simple assembly environments where:
    • The subassembly is not stocked.
    • It is always used immediately in a parent item.
    • There is no need for separate tracking or scheduling
    • The manufacturing steps are short and simple.
    If your goal is visibility, control, traceability, or cost accuracy, it's usually better to build and track assemblies as distinct production orders or inventory items.
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    Sohail Ahmed Profile Picture
    3,207 on at
    Use of Phantom BoM in practice
    Maybe this will give you a hint:
     
     
     
     
    If you found this helpful, please mark it as the verified answer ✅
     
     

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