Multi-level BOMs with alternates
Component-level bills of materials with approved alternates and manufacturer part numbers, so purchasing can buy what is available.
Electronics manufacturing ERP that keeps component-level BOMs, revisions, serial traceability and compliance documents in the same system as purchasing, inventory and financials.
Why electronics companies call us
Most electronics companies come to us at the same point: the BOM lives in the engineering tool and a spreadsheet, revisions reach purchasing late, long-lead components are tracked by memory, and an RMA means hunting for which board went into which unit.
SAP Business One for electronics manufacturing replaces that patchwork with one system for multi-level BOMs with revisions and alternates, MRP against real lead times, production or contract manufacturer orders, serial and lot traceability, RMAs and financials, configured around how a product company actually runs.
Requirements
Eight areas where electronics ERP software earns its keep, and the ones we configure first.
Component-level bills of materials with approved alternates and manufacturer part numbers, so purchasing can buy what is available.
Engineering changes with effectivity dates, so production and purchasing build and buy the right revision.
Component lots traced into every serialized unit and out to the customer, for RMAs, field actions and warranty.
Lead times and allocations on constrained parts, with MRP that warns before the shortage stops the line.
Compliance documents and declarations held on the part and the supplier, and available when a customer asks.
Consigned inventory, CM work orders and receipts against your BOM, with costs landing on the finished unit.
Returns against the serial, repair orders, and failure data that engineering can actually use.
Options and variants on the sales order that generate the production BOM, without a separate item for every combination.
Electronics distribution
Distributors and resellers of electronic components and equipment run the same system without the production side: serial and lot tracking, RMAs, EDI and portals, and margin by customer and SKU.
Worldwide Supply tracks new and pre-owned networking equipment for more than 200 brands on SAP Business One, and New Yorker Electronics standardized its proposals and EDI to compete better in wholesale electronics.
The Third Wave build
SAP Business One already covers BOMs, production, purchasing, inventory, sales and financials. What makes it an electronics ERP is the configuration and the add-ons around it. A typical Third Wave electronics build includes:
Every build starts with your BOMs, your approved vendor list and your serial rules, not a template.
Sub-sectors
Different products, the same operating problems: BOMs that change, parts that are late, and units that have to trace.
Vuzix, a maker of smart glasses and AR products, replaced quote confusion with clear sales and production insight on SAP Business One and Versago.
Worldwide Supply tracks new and pre-owned networking gear for 200+ brands with warehouse and asset intake on SAP Business One.
New Yorker Electronics automated early-stage proposals, EDI and its web presence for wholesale electronics.
IMS Systems, a precision measurement technology company, replaced disjointed warehouse and expense systems with integrated workflows.
Customer-owned designs, consigned components and job costing per build.
Serialized units with the documentation a regulated customer expects.
Client results
Four companies, four product lines, one system.
Vuzix
How Vuzix, a maker of smart glasses and waveguides, gave customers, buyers and production staff Versago web portals synced with SAP Business One. RFQs create SAP quotations, and approved purchase requests become POs automatically.
Worldwide Supply
Global network equipment provider Worldwide Supply built its warehouse and asset management on SAP Business One with Third Wave, and uses nearly every module and add-on.
New Yorker Electronics
How New Yorker Electronics, an electronic components distributor in Northvale, New Jersey, went live on SAP Business One with Third Wave in 2012: an automatic RFQ process, EDI with trading partners, and reporting with real-time queries.
IMS Systems
IMS Systems automated document and expense workflows with Versago and used Bizweaver to connect Autodesk Inventor, Vault and Cardex to SAP Business One. Attaching scans to goods receipts alone saves up to 3 to 4 hours a month.
Client reviews
Third Wave Business Systems has been a highly valued partner, consistently helping us solve complex business challenges. They streamline operations, adapt solutions to our specific needs, and provide timely support that minimizes downtime and maximizes efficiency.
They've provided seamless integrations with other programs using their BizWeaver tool allowing us to be more efficient and effective with our work.
They are responsive, consistent, and thorough; they are able and willing to examine the underlying business process to best understand which technological options will address the true need.
How to choose
Most lists of the best ERP for electronics manufacturers rank vendors. The better test is whether the system can hold your BOM with alternates, buy the right revision and trace a serial in minutes. Five questions settle it.
If engineering changes reach purchasing by email, the wrong revision will get built.
Ask for it in the demo, on your own part numbers.
Consigned stock, CM work orders and receipts against your BOM, with cost landing on the unit.
Licenses, implementation, add-ons and hosting. Our SAP Business One pricing guide lays out the ranges for a product company and what moves them.
Revision history and serial records are the long poles in the migration. Our implementation timeline guide covers the phases, and the client results above show the companies we have taken live.