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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

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Posted on by October Sky

Are there certain situations, industries whereby use of of phantom bill of materials may not be useful in practice and it is best to resort to making assemblies first? Can long cycle or complex manufacturing processes be one of many reasons?

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Ben Baxter 5,778 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at

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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

I think it is funny that two of the AI bot accounts responded with the exact same response. Clearly they use the same AI tool.

In this case the information they provided is accurate on when to consider Phantom BOMs vs. a full sub-assembly.

Best Regards,

Ben Baxter

Accent Software Inc
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YUN ZHU 83,822 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at

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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

Hi, just adding some info, hope it helps as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qRwlUyuIDk

https://archerpoint.com/streamline-manufacturing-with-phantom-boms-in-business-central/

https://community.dynamics.com/blogs/post/?postid=be3223d5-e012-ef11-989a-000d3ae2aa43

Thanks.

ZHU
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RockwithNav 6,999 on at

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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

I wont be saying there's any so called rulebooks not to use or to use, it all depends how exactly you are executing your manufacturing process and how much each the customer is having to take the process into accountability.

It's used massively now a days as same phantoms can be applied to multiple BOMS which makes it easier to handle.
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Mansi Soni 3,078 on at

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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

Hello,

Yes, there are certain situations and industries where using a phantom bill of materials (BOM) may not be practical, and it's more appropriate to create assemblies or production orders instead. Phantom BOMs are typically used to simplify the structure of a BOM by grouping components without requiring a separate production step.

However, in industries with long cycle times, complex manufacturing processes, or strict quality control requirements - such as aerospace, automotive, pharmaceuticals, or heavy machinery - it is often necessary to track intermediate assemblies separately for scheduling, traceability, costing, or compliance purposes.

In such cases, using phantom BOMs could oversimplify the production process and lead to inefficiencies or loss of critical production data. Therefore, creating separate assemblies with their own production orders allows for better control, tracking, and planning in complex or regulated manufacturing environments.

Hope this answer will help you!

Regards,

Mansi Soni
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Montassar Krichi 124 on at

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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

Hi,

Yes, there are situations and industries where phantom Bills of Materials (BOMs) are not practical or effective, and it is better to explicitly manufacture or assemble subassemblies before use. Here’s a breakdown of when and why this is the case.

Phantom BOMs work well in lean, repetitive, or simple assembly environments where:

The subassembly is not stocked.

It is always used immediately in a parent item.

There is no need for separate tracking or scheduling

The manufacturing steps are short and simple.

If your goal is visibility, control, traceability, or cost accuracy, it's usually better to build and track assemblies as distinct production orders or inventory items.
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Sohail Ahmed 2,552 on at

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Use of Phantom BoM in practice

Phantom BoMs are typically used to simplify production by grouping components without requiring separate production orders for subassemblies. However, they are not always suitable in practice:

In long-cycle or complex manufacturing, where detailed tracking, routing, or quality control is needed, phantom BoMs fall short.

Industries like aerospace, automotive, or custom machinery, which require tight process control, usually benefit more from traditional production orders or assemblies.

If subassemblies are reused across multiple products or need separate costing and inventory tracking, it's better to use standard assemblies or production BoMs.

So yes, there are many cases where phantom BoMs are not ideal and switching to assemblies or standard BoMs is more practical.

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