openBoM export and change report

A few days ago, I shared with you three reasons why we’re enhancing openBoM reports. If you missed the post, read it, here. openBoM BOM exports are simple and powerful. My hope is that users will find them both helpful and valuable. Today I want to talk about another useful report supported by openBoM: change reports.
Change reports are a kind of a hidden nugget. Some users rave about how useful and time saving they are, once they realize they’re available. A typical use case we see is communicating BOM changes to production contractors for manufacturing planning. For example, at first you export a BOM and send it to the contractor as an Excel file. Next time you want to send another Excel, you discover the contractor wants you to also include changes (from the first Excel you sent). This is typical situation I’m sure you may be familiar with.
Comparing changes to spreadsheets is hard and tedious work. The good news is openBoM can help. Here is a simple example that shows how openBoM improves change management, in this case, using Onshape. openBoM also supports all other MCAD systems. In the video, you’ll see the following steps:
1. A design has been created;
2. A BOM is generated from the design;
3. A revision is created to capture an immutable record of the BOM at a certain state;
4. The BOM report is exported to Excel;
5. Another change is made in Onshape;
6. The BOM is updated after the change;
7. A second revision is captured; and
8. A change report is created between the two revisions and sent to a contractor.
Conclusion. openBoM simplifies communication with contractors allowing you to send changes between design iterations and other changes in the BOM. We think that’s a unique value proposition you’ll value. However, I care most what you think. Let me know!
Best, Oleg @ openbom.com
