Create Related Materials in BRAINR to set up equivalent/substitute relationships between products.• Define the relationship type (e.g., Equivalent) and link the main product to a related product. • Optionally scope the relationship to specific Bills of Materials (BoM).
What is a Related Material in BRAINR?
Related materials in BRAINR represent the link between a main material and another material that can be used as an equivalent or substitute in production processes.
Currently, the functionality is limited to the use of equivalent materials, allowing substitutions only between products that perform the same function.
What is it for?
In BRAINR, the configuration of related materials is used for:
Flexible material substitution: Allows the user, during production, to pick raw materials from a related material (substitute) without it being explicitly defined in the Bill of Materials.
Equivalence management: Helps identify equivalent materials to reduce production delays and increase inventory management efficiency.
Customization by Bill of Materials (BoM): Related materials can be associated with specific bills of materials, ensuring they are only considered in predefined contexts.
Practical example
In a scenario where the main material defined in a Bill of Materials is out of stock in the warehouse, if there is a related material configured as an equivalent, the user can select the substitute material to continue the production process, avoiding interruptions and ensuring operational flexibility.
Where to Create a Related Material
On the Homepage, navigate to the "Related Materials" module in the Materials section.
The app displays all existing related materials. Click "+ Create" in the upper right corner to start creating a new one, or use the "Import" button for bulk upload.
In the "Create Related Material" modal, fill in the fields in the Relationship Configuration section:
Product: Select the main product.
Related Product: Choose the product to link.
Type: Define the type of relationship between the products (e.g., Equivalent).
Association with Bill of Materials (BoM)
Without specific BOM selection: Leave the "Specify Bills of Materials" checkbox unchecked. The related material will be associated with all BOMs.
With specific BOM selection: Check the "Specify Bills of Materials" checkbox. A table with the available BOMs will be displayed. Select one or more BOMs and click Create to confirm.
