BOM Variance agent
Flags jobs where the material actually used differs from the plan by 5% or more, up or down.
Validated with each clientWhat does BOM Variance replace? The work of a production planner: comparing planned and actual material use. Flags jobs where the material actually used differs from the plan by 5% or more, up or down.
Shows why
Every draft comes with its reasons and how sure the agent is. If it is unsure, it only offers a suggestion.
Waits for you
It does not file, pay or post anything until a person says so.
Gets reviewed
Your approvals and corrections are recorded, so you can see how well it does on your books.
A day with BOM Variance
Picture a 60-person engineering parts maker. A work order for 500 brackets has run on the shop floor for three days.
- The order is closed. The supervisor marks the work order complete, or short-closes it because the customer cut the quantity. This is the moment the planned and the actual figures are both final, so it is when Kinnow raises BOM Variance.
- It reads the order. It compares the quantity planned with the quantity completed. It can also compare, item by item, the quantity each material required with the quantity actually issued from stores.
- It flags the gap. A difference of 5% or more, up or down, is flagged. You see the gap in quantity and in percent, with the reasons and a confidence figure.
- The production head looks. Is it scrap, a wrong issue from stores, a bill of materials that is out of date, or real overuse? Kinnow points at the order; the answer comes from the shop floor.
- Approve or send back. Approve the flag to confirm it needs action. Send it back if the difference is expected, for example a trial batch. Either way the decision and the reason are recorded.
What it reads and what it hands back
| What it reads | What it hands back | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| Planned and completed quantity of the work order | Variance in quantity and percent, flagged or not | A suggestion on the order, with reasons, for the planner to review |
| Required and issued quantity of each material on the order | Variance for each item and a total for the order | The same suggestion, item by item |
| Only your own work orders | No outside data is read and nothing leaves Kinnow | Stays in your account |
See BOM Variance on a work order of yours. Send us last month's closed orders.
What a person decides
Nothing is filed, paid or posted without a person. Here is where your people stay in charge.
- You approve or reject each flag. The production head or planner decides whether a flagged order needs action.
- The 5% line is built in. It is not a setting you change yourself.
- It never changes your records. It does not edit a work order, a bill of materials, stock or the ledger, and it does not stop production. It only raises a flag.
Ask Kinnow about this
Ask Kinnow answers from your own records and shows its source and cost before it runs. What you get back depends on what has been recorded.
| You might ask | What the answer shows |
|---|---|
| Which work orders last month used more material than planned? | The orders, with planned and actual quantity and the gap. |
| Which item is over-issued most often? | The items that appear most in flagged orders, from your own order history. |
| What is the gap on work order WO-2041? | Planned against actual quantity for that order and whether it crossed the line. |
Ask us to run BOM Variance on your shop floor data.
Works with
- Make: work orders, bills of materials and the shop floor, where this agent raises its flags
- Build: the other application this agent is listed under
- Production Schedule Optimizer: plans the order of jobs; BOM Variance checks how they turned out
- Subcontracting and quality in one loop: job work and inspection beside the same orders
- Manufacturing: how a plant runs its month on Kinnow
Questions
What does the BOM Variance agent do?
Flags jobs where the material actually used differs from the plan by 5% or more, up or down.
Does BOM Variance act on its own?
No. BOM Variance hands back the jobs where material use is 5% or more off plan, with its reasons, and a person approves before anything is posted, filed, sent or paid.
Does BOM Variance learn?
Yes. Each time you approve or reject a flagged job, Kinnow records it against how sure the agent said it was, so you can see how it is doing on your books. Your corrections are kept as feedback.
How is it paid for?
It is part of your agent pack, and there is no charge per user.
When does BOM Variance run?
When a work order is completed or short-closed. That is when the planned and the actual figures are both final.
Does it change my bill of materials or stop a work order?
No. It raises a flag with reasons. Your records stay as they are until a person acts.
Tell Kinnow what slows you down.
Answer three questions. Get the applications, the agents and a two-week plan for your business.