Bill of materials
The bill of materials sets an item's recipe: its components and their quantity for one unit. It fills the manufacturing order and feeds the manufacturing indicators.
Overview
The bill of materials (BOM) describes the composition of an item to be produced: the list of purchase items (raw materials and semi-finished goods) it consumes, with the quantity needed for one unit produced. It is the item's reference "recipe".
Business goal
- Set a product's composition once and for all
- Fill manufacturing orders automatically
- Compute production capacity from stock
- Measure the variance between actual and expected consumption
Target audience
- Production manager — defines the recipes
- Methods / quality — keeps quantities up to date
- Management — follows costs and capacity
A template, not a movement
A bill of materials does not move stock. It is a template: a manufacturing order from bill of materials uses it to compute the components, and the Stock dashboard uses it for its manufacturing indicators.
Access and navigation
Side menu: Stock and Manufacturing → Settings → Bill of materials. The Settings sub-menu also holds Production Managers and Stock movements.
Profile-dependent visibility
The module is called Stock and Manufacturing when your company has the Manufacturing Orders option (otherwise "Stocks"). The Bill of materials entry only shows if your profile has the Bill of materials privilege; the Settings sub-menu is hidden if you can access none of its three entries.
List of bills of materials
The page lists the company's bills of materials (not deleted). Each row shows the label, the produced item and the creation date.
| Label⇅ | Produced item⇅ | Date⇅ | Detail⇅ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOM Yaourt nature 500ml | ART0102 - Yaourt nature 500ml | 20/10/2026 | ||
| BOM Pack 6×1L | ART0214 - Pack 6×1L | 21/10/2026 | ||
| BOM SMART module | 467802 - Module Smart Supervisor | 22/10/2026 |
| Element | Role |
|---|---|
| New | Opens the creation form. |
| Delete | Deletes the checked bill of materials, after confirmation. |
| Detail | Opens the bill of materials for viewing, with access to editing. |
Create a bill of materials
Click New. Fill in the header, then add one row per component with the + button: pick the item used and enter its quantity for one unit of the produced item.
| Item used | Qty | |
|---|---|---|
| MP-LAIT - Whole milk (L) | 0.500 | |
| MP-FERM - Lactic cultures (g) | 0.010 | |
| SF-POT500 - 500ml pot + lid (u) | 1.000 |
| Field | Input rule |
|---|---|
| Label * | Readable name of the bill of materials. |
| Produced item * | Sales item managed in stock. An item can have only one bill of materials. |
| Description | Free notes (variant, packaging…). |
| Item used * | Purchase item of type raw material or semi-finished. |
| Qty * | Quantity consumed for 1 unit produced, strictly positive. |
Always for one unit
Enter quantities for one unit, even if you produce in batches: the manufacturing order then multiplies by the quantity produced. Example: 0.500 L of milk per pot → 492 pots consume 246 L.
Entering an item already in the table replaces its quantity instead of adding a second row.
Edit, view, delete
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| View | The Detail button shows the header and the components. |
| Edit | Label, description, adding or removing components, changing quantities. |
| Delete | Logical deletion after confirmation: the bill of materials leaves the list and the item can receive a new one. |
No retroactive effect
Editing a bill of materials does not change manufacturing orders already saved: it only applies to orders created afterwards.
In the manufacturing order
When creating a manufacturing order, choose Production from bill of materials: YES. Only items that have a bill of materials are then offered, and the components are filled in and computed automatically:
Component quantity = bill of materials quantity (for 1 unit) × (Intact Qty + Defective Qty)
| Component | For 1 unit | Qty produced (480 + 12) | Computed qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP-LAIT - Whole milk (L) | 0.500 | 492 | 246.000 |
| MP-FERM - Lactic cultures (g) | 0.010 | 492 | 4.920 |
| SF-POT500 - 500ml pot + lid (u) | 1.000 | 492 | 492.000 |
The Stock dashboard computes how many units the purchase stock can still produce, and the limiting material.
For orders entered by hand, it compares actual consumption with the bill of materials.
Details of the "from bill of materials" mode: Manufacturing orders. Indicators: Stock dashboard.
Business rules
One bill of materials per item — a second active bill of materials for the same item is refused with the message A bill of materials already exists for this item.
At least one component, positive quantities — saving is refused with no row or a zero quantity.
Components = purchase items — raw materials and semi-finished goods. The produced item is a sales item managed in stock.
1-unit basis — quantities are always expressed for one unit of the produced item.
FAQ & Tips
My item is not in "Produced item"?
Only sales items managed in stock are offered. Enable stock management on the item card.
"A bill of materials already exists for this item"?
The item already has an active bill of materials: edit it rather than creating a second one.
My item does not appear in the manufacturing order from bill of materials?
It has no bill of materials yet (or it was deleted). Create it here, then go back to the order.
Can I describe several levels (a semi-finished good with its own recipe)?
Each produced item has its own bill of materials. A semi-finished good made in-house is produced by its own manufacturing order, then enters as a component of the next item.
Tip. Name the bill of materials after the item and its packaging: the list stays readable as the catalogue grows.
Swifto ERP · Production · User Manual v1.0
Bill of materials — Manufacturing orders · Production · Home