This article explains how to use the Buymanager Risk Management module to obtain critical component conformity information (such as RoHS, REACH, and End-of-Life status) directly from the SiliconExpert database. This feature helps you ensure compliance and manage risks throughout your deal process.
Go to paragraph:
What is Component Conformity Information?
Why Do You Need It?
Prerequisites
How It Works: Getting Conformity Information
What is Component Conformity Information?
Component conformity information refers to data about whether an electronic component complies with various environmental regulations (like RoHS and REACH) and its lifecycle status (e.g., whether it's active, nearing End-of-Life (EOL), or obsolete).
The Buymanager Risk Management module integrates with SiliconExpert to provide this data, allowing you to:
- Get Conformity Information: Quickly access RoHS, REACH, and EOL status for components at different stages of your deal (e.g., BOM upload, Costing). This is the primary focus of this article.
- Search for Cross-References: Using the Alternative Solution with the Risk Module
Why Do You Need It?
Accessing conformity information directly within Buymanager offers several key benefits:
- Ensure Regulatory Compliance: Verify that components meet environmental standards (RoHS, REACH)
- Proactive Risk Management: Identify potential End-of-Life (EOL) components early in the process, allowing you to plan for alternatives and avoid supply chain disruptions.
- Informed Decision-Making: Make better sourcing and design choices by understanding the compliance and lifecycle status of parts.
- Customer Reporting: Generate comprehensive reports for your customers, demonstrating due diligence and transparency regarding component compliance.
- Streamlined Workflow: Integrate compliance checks directly into your existing Buymanager processes, saving time and improving efficiency.
Prerequisites
1. Buymanager Risk Management Module License: This is an optional module that requires an additional license from the Buymanager team.
2. SiliconExpert API Access License: You must have an active SiliconExpert account with API access. Be aware that each data retrieval from SiliconExpert consumes one of your available API requests.
Setup:For an overview of the Risk Management module and its setup instructions, please check the dedicated article Risk Management Module Overview & Setup
How It Works: Getting Conformity Information
The process for retrieving conformity information is similar across different Buymanager interfaces, but the scope of the SiliconExpert search varies depending on where you initiate it.
1. Where Conformity Information is Available
You can access conformity information in three main interfaces within Buymanager, each with a different search scope:
- In the BOM Draft:
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- Scope: The search is performed on all uploaded sources for each part. This includes customer-provided sources, allowing you to analyze multiple sources for a single component.
- Benefits: Provide a compliance report to your customer based on their own sources. Detect compliance issues early in the deal process, enabling prompt action.
- Note: The search can be done even before creating parts or generating the BOM. Ensure all source information (Manufacturer and MPN) is complete for data to be saved.
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- In the Costing:
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- Scope: The search is performed on the quoted sources you have selected for each part.
- Benefits: Verify compliance for the specific sources you are quoting, including alternative sources. Provide a compliance report to your customer for the sources you have proposed.
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- In the BOM
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- Scope: The search is performed on all sources that have been created in the BOM. This includes sources that were finalized from the BOM draft (which might differ if incomplete sources were excluded during creation).
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* **Benefits:**
* Verify compliance for the finalized components in your BOM.
* Provide a comprehensive compliance report to your customer for the entire BOM.
*(Refer to image: The original image "image_thumb31.png" likely shows the BOM interface.)*
#### 2. Step-by-Step Process to Get Conformity Information
The general workflow is consistent across the BOM, BOM Draft, and Costing interfaces.
*(Refer to image: The original image "image_thumb81.png" provides a visual overview of this process.)*
1. **Access the Risk Management Module and Select MPNs:**
* Navigate to the Risk Management section within your chosen interface (BOM, BOM Draft, or Costing).
* Select the specific Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs) for which you want to retrieve conformity information from the SiliconExpert database.
2. **Link MPNs to SiliconExpert Database (COMIDs):**
* **Purpose:** This step identifies the correct SiliconExpert ID (COMID) for each of your MPNs, forming the link to their database.
* Use the **"Search"** column to disable the search for specific MPNs if needed.
* Click the **"Search"** button to initiate the identification process.
* **Automatic Assignment:** The tool automatically assigns a SiliconExpert ID to MPNs when there is a clear, unambiguous match.
* **Multiple Results / "Not Assigned":** If SiliconExpert proposes multiple results for an MPN, or if it's "Not assigned" due to ambiguity:
* Click the **"Not assigned"** button.
* Manually assign the correct SiliconExpert ID (COMID) for each MPN from the presented options.
*(Refer to image: The original image "image_thumb101.png" shows the "Not assigned" button and the manual assignment interface.)*
* **No Results:** If SiliconExpert finds no results for an MPN, you will not be able to retrieve conformity information for it. You may need to consider alternative parts or leave it unassigned.
* **Important Note on Manufacturer Mismatch:** If SiliconExpert returns a single result with a 100% MPN match but a different manufacturer, Buymanager will automatically assign it and display a warning (often with an orange highlight) indicating the manufacturer mismatch. You must review these auto-assignments and potentially unselect the found COMID if it's not appropriate.
3. **Retrieve Risk Management Information from SiliconExpert Web Services:**
* **Pre-requisite:** Ensure you have completed the linking process (Step 2) and assigned COMIDs to the MPNs you want to query.
* Use the **"Search"** column to select only the MPNs for which you want to retrieve data.
* Click the **"Get data"** button.
* **Confirmation:** The tool will ask for confirmation because this action **consumes one of your SiliconExpert API requests**.
* Once confirmed, the data will be retrieved and displayed in the table.
*(Refer to image: The original image "image_thumb121.png" shows the "Get data" button and the resulting data table.)*
4. **Generate Risk Management Reports:**
* **Pre-requisite:** You must have already retrieved the Risk Management information (Step 3).
* Use the **"Search"** column to select the MPNs you wish to include in the report.
* Choose the desired report type:
* **Simple Excel report:** Transfers all information from the result table into an Excel file.
* **Complete PDF report:** Generates a comprehensive PDF report containing all available Risk Management information for selected MPNs.
* **Partial report ROHS:** Generates a report specifically for RoHS compliance information.
* **Partial report REACH:** Generates a report specifically for REACH compliance information.
* **Partial report LIFECYCLE:** Generates a report specifically for component lifecycle information (EOL, etc.).
#### 3. How the Tool Handles Previously Retrieved Data
Buymanager stores the SiliconExpert information you retrieve in your local database.
* When you search for information on an MPN that has been queried before, Buymanager will first display the previously stored data.
* Clicking **"Get data"** for such an MPN will update the existing SiliconExpert information with the latest data from the web service, consuming another API request. This ensures your data is always current.
Through the Risk management module, you can get data from the SiliconExpert database directly in Buymanager :
- Get conformity information (ROHS, REACH, EOL...) in only few clicks at every stage of your Deal (BOM upload, Costing...) : it's the focus of this article
- Search for cross-references to propose alternatives solutions to your customer : dedicated article here
If needed, please check the dedicated article to have the overview of the Risk management module & set-up in Buymanager. Reminder : Risk management module is optional and requires an additional licence, please contact our sales team if needed : sales@buymanager.biz
Summary
- Where conformity information is available?
- How to get conformity information ?
- How the Risk management tool works with MPN you already get information in previous costing or BOM ?
In the Costing :
The search of conformity information will be done on the quoted sources. It's the source of the price you selected, so only 1 source per part will be searched. Therefore, you can :
- Detect if the sources you quoted (that could be alternative sources) don't respect the conformity requirements and engage necessary actions if needed
- Provide a report to your customer to analyse the sources you quoted (mainly the alternative sources)
In the BOM :
The search of conformity information will be done on all sources of the BOM. It's the sources that were created in the BOM draft (so it could be different than the sources in the BOM draft, if you decide for example not to create incomplete sources). Therefore, you can :
- Detect if the created sources of your BOM don't respect the conformity requirements and engage necessary actions if needed
- Provide a report to your customer to analyse the sources of the BOM
How to get conformity information ?
Note : The process is the same in a BOM, a BOM draft, or in a costing.
How the Risk management module works ?
- Go to the risk management module (one of the 3 interfaces mentioned above)
- Select the MPNs on which you want to get conformity information (from Silicon Expert database)
- Use search tool to create link between both MPN and Silicon Expert ID (COMID).
- The aim is to identify which Risk management data you want to get for a specific MPN
- Filter MPN you want to get Risk management from Silicon Expert Web Services.
- This step is very important because the next step will decrease your Silicon available Request.
- Get Risk management information from Silicon Expert Web Services.
- This step decrease your Silicon request.
- Generate the Risk Management Report
How to create a link between your MPN and SiliconExpert database?
according to your needs or those of your client, you would like to get Risk management on all MPN or partial list of MPN.
- Use the column “Search” to disable the tool on specific MPN.
- Click “Search” button to identify the right link between Silicon expert database and your MPN
- When the search is done the tool automatically assign Silicon ID with all your MPN when there is no ambiguity
- However it is possible that Silicon web service propose multiple result for a specific MPN. In this case :
- Click on “Not assigned” button
- Assign for each MPN the right Silicon Expert ID (COMID)
- It is possible that Silicon web service propose no result for a specific MPN. In this case :
- You could change price selection in the costing valuation or leave unassigned this specific MPN. You cannot get Risk management information for this specific MPN.
Note : When we search for information on SiliconExpert API, if we have only one result coming from Silicon with a 100% match on the MPN but with a different manufacturer, in this case Buymanager automatically assign the result and up a warning with an orange colour on the manufacture not matching. The user have to check this auto assignment to potentially unselect the COMMID found.
How to get Risk management information from SiliconExpert Web Services ?
Pre-requirement : you should search and potentially assigned MPN you want to get Silicon information.
- Use the column “Search” to disable the tool on specific MPN
- Click on “Get data” button to request Silicon Experts web services on the checked MPN (Search column checked)
- The tool ask you a confirmation to request Silicon Expert web services because this action decrease your silicon request.
- When it will be done, the result appears in the table.
How to generate Risk Management report for your customer ?
Pre-requirement : You should get Risk management information before. Different report are available in this tool.
- Use the column “Search” to disable the tool on specific MPN (if you don’t when to show certain MPN in the report)
- Generate the report
- Simple Excel report : Transfer in an excel file all the information you have in the above result table
- Complete PDF report : Generate a report containing all the Risk management information available for each MPN you want (Search column checked)
- Partial report ROHS : Generate a report containing all the ROHS information available for each MPN you want (Search column checked)
- Partial report REACH : Generate a report containing all the REACH information available for each MPN you want (Search column checked)
- Partial report LIFECYCLE : Generate a report containing all the LIFECYCLE information available for each MPN you want (Search column checked)
How the Risk management tool works with MPN you already get information in previous costing or BOM ?
Buymanager save all the silicon Expert information in your database. So when you want to get silicon information on a MPN you already search, Buymanager show you the old information it has in the database. When you click “Get data” the Silicon Expert information for these MPN will be updated. Buymanager create a new partner ship with SiliconExpert company. You have an account on the SiliconExpert site You have the Risk management module available on your Buymanager application. Now you can directly connect Buymanager to SiliconExpert Web Services to get information from Silicon (ROHS, REACH and EOL information)