Creating a Manufacturer Equivalent Part

Manufacturer equivalent parts (MEPs) provide the same functionality as enterprise parts. However, MEPs are outsourced to third-party suppliers whereas enterprise parts are manufactured internally. Component Engineers, Compliance Engineers, Design Engineers, and Senior Design Engineers can create manufacturer equivalent parts.

Note: Creating a Manufacturer Equivalent Part requires either a Product Engineer (PDE), Classification Manager (CCM), or Material Compliance Manager (MCM) license.

Before you begin:
  • At least one manufacturer must be defined as a supplier under the host company.
  • For you to specify a manufacturer location, at least one location must be defined under the host company as a manufacturing site.

To create a manufacturer equivalent part, you must have one of these roles:

  • Baseline: Author or Leader
  • App-specific: Component Engineer, Design Engineer, Senior Design Engineer, Product Obsolescence Manager, or Part Family Coordinator
Note: Manufacturer equivalent parts cannot be created for configured parts.

To create an MEP that is not associated with another part (although can be later), select > Engineering > Part > Create MEP.

To create a manufacturer equivalent part that is associated with another part:

  1. Do one of:
    1. Create a part.
    2. Search for and open a part.
  2. Select the Equivalents category. See List of All Manufacturer Equivalent Parts.
  3. From the Actions menu, click Create New Manufacturer Equivalent.
    Only users with Create access for manufacturer equivalent parts can view this option.
  4. Complete the Create New MEP form (required fields appear in red). See the table below for information about each field.
  5. Click OK to add the new part to the database.

    The part is listed in the Manufacturer Equivalents tab in the Equivalents category for the part and is assigned to the specified manufacturer and location.

    The fields you complete in the Create New MEP form are:
    Field Description
    Part Name Type a unique identifier for the part, such as "Part B-01". This is the name that will appear in all tables that list manufacturer equivalent parts.
    Title The common identifier for the part, such as "small inner bracket bolt".
    Manufacturer Click to select the manufacturer of the equivalent part. The search page opens where you can search for and select a manufacturer that is defined as a supplier for the host company. Only one manufacturer can be assigned for any MEP.
    Manufacturer Location Click to select the location. The Search Location page opens where you can search for and select a location that is defined as a manufacturing site for the host company.
    Usage Location
    Name Click to select the location of the company that will have allocation responsibility for the MEP. Allocation responsibility indicates that a location has been designated or is authorized (depending on the location lifecycle state) to allocate / inventory a given MEP in support of the production process.
    Location Status Select a status from the list to indicate whether the location has been approved to allocate the part in support of production: Required, Authorized, or Not Authorized.
    Location Preference Select whether the location is Preferred or Not Preferred.
    Type Select the type of part you want to create. Click if you are creating a subtype. Click the plus sign(s) to select a subtype from the type hierarchy in the form and click Select.
    Note: When you select a Raw Material, design collaboration is turned off and disabled.
    Revision Shows the revision identifier, which is automatically generated using the internal ID of the Manufacturer followed by a dash and then the internal ID of the Manufacturer Location.
    On premises only: You can edit this field only if your Business Administrator has allowed custom revisions for MEPs.
    Description Enter details that describe the part.
    Unit of Measure Unit of measure Type (Weight, Volume, etc.) and Unit of measure (KG, CM^3, etc.) This is an engineering attribute.
    Collaborative Policy The policy is Manufacturer Equivalent Part. To change the policy, click the arrow. This is displayed only if more than one policy is available.
    Attributes
    Weight Enter the weight of the part and select a unit of measure for the weight from the list.
    Target Cost Enter the target cost on a per part basis.
    Estimated Cost Enter the estimated cost on a per part basis.
    Lead Time Select the number of weeks that will be required to manufacture the part.
    Procurement Intent How the MEP is to be acquired. Select either "Make" or "Buy".
    Extended Attributes
    Spare Part Select Yes or No to specify whether the part is to be used as a spare.
    Target Release Date Click and select a target date for the part to become effective in the bill of materials.
    Note: The actual effective date is determined by the release date of the CA which releases the bill of materials the part is used in.