Systems and methods for process-driven bill of material

Abstract

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for compiling production and planning information. In one embodiment, a system for planning the production of a product includes at least one database configured to store engineering information related to the product and further configured to store process information related to the product, and a processor coupled to the at least one database to combine selected information from the at least one database to generate a manufacturing planning document that defines the product. In another embodiment, a method of generating a manufacturing bill of material for a selected product includes compiling a process data structure from the process information, compiling a product data structure from the engineering information, and generating a manufacturing bill of material by combining the process data structure and the product data structure.

1 . A system for planning the production of a product, comprising: 
 at least one database configured to store engineering information and further configured to store process information related to the product;    a processor coupled to the at least one database and operable to combine selected engineering and process information from the at least one database to generate a manufacturing planning document that defines the product.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one database is further configured to store an engineering bill of material that defines an as-designed configuration for the product.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one database includes at least one of a drawing tree that includes references to engineering drawings that at least partially define a configuration of the product, a parts list that identifies at least a portion of the component parts that comprise the product, and a directory that includes digital representations of component parts that at least partially define the product.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one database includes at least one precedence network that at least partially defines a predetermined assembly sequence for the product.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an input device operable to transfer selected information to the at least one database.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a storage device coupled to the processor that is operable to receive a processed result from the processor.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the storage device is coupled to a communications network that is configured to transfer the processed result to a plurality of information requesters.