Engineering

In engineer-to-order work, change control is the system

An ETO manufacturer does not manage a catalog with occasional revisions; it manages a river of engineering where every order can carry its own design. Each capability below is field-editable as its own card above; this section goes one level deeper into how each one actually works.

One Part Master and BOMs

Engineering and production share one part master, so a released revision is instantly the revision everywhere it is used: the BOM, the routing and every open order it affects. Quick-entry and full-maintenance forms, a tree-style panel for navigating any level of a multi-level BOM, and manufacturer cross-reference with pass-through warranty specifications keep engineers focused on engineering rather than data entry.

Engineering Change Control

Change control spans a range, from simple revision audit tracking to tightly controlled change request and change notice procedures, applied to only the parts that need it. Impact reports identify every affected assembly, open sales order, job in process and open purchase order before a change is committed, and multi-step online workflow routes authorization through engineering and, where the change warrants it, through quality, materials, sales, purchasing and production.

CAD, PDM and EPDM Integration

The CAD interface imports and exports parts and BOMs from Excel or directly from contemporary CAD and PLM systems, eliminating re-keying of customer- and CAD-supplied product definitions, with online links from ERP product data to the drawings and electronic files behind it.

Where-Used Analysis

Before a part changes, where-used analysis shows every BOM, assembly and open order it appears in, so the cost of a change is known before the change is made, not discovered afterward in a shortage or a missed delivery.

Product Configurator

Rule-based configuration handles configure-to-order products without custom programming: rules validate that an end item is buildable and deliverable, dynamically flag invalid option combinations, and generate the BOM and routing as the user configures, which can be saved as standard items or treated as one-off. The same configurator is available to customers through the customer portal for self-service configuration within the limits you release.

Part and Product Attributes

User-defined fields and part attributes extend the part master without custom programming, supporting fifty-character part numbers, unlimited extended text output to quotes and orders, and wildcard search across any property, attribute or UDF, so a part search matches how your products are actually described, not just their part number.

Common questions about engineering in Visibility ERP

What is engineering change control in an ERP system?

It is the discipline of moving a design change through approval and into effect without breaking work in flight. In Visibility ERP an ECO carries the change, its approvals and its effectivity, and identifies which open orders are affected, so the shop is never building to a revision nobody meant.

Can bills of material come directly from CAD?

Yes. CAD, PDM and EPDM interfaces feed product structure into the engineering backbone, so the production BOM starts from the design system's truth rather than a retyped copy.

What does where-used analysis do?

Before you change a part, it shows every BOM, assembly and open order the part appears in, so the cost of a change is known before the change, not discovered after it.

How long does it take to implement?

A typical Visibility ERP implementation runs four to six months, delivered by our own team, with zero failed implementations since 1988.