This guide explains how to leverage the "Alternative Solution" feature in Buymanager to find and manage cross-references for electronic components, integrating data from SiliconExpert and Webquote. This feature is crucial for addressing component shortages and optimizing your supply chain.
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What is the "Alternative Solution" Feature?
How It Works: Step-by-Step Guide
- Part 1: Initiating the Alternative Solution Search
- Part 2: Searching for Cross-References with Stock and Lead Time
- Part 3: Refining and Confirming Selections
- Part 4: Integration into Costing
SiliconExpert Cross-Reference Explanation
What is the "Alternative Solution" Feature?
The Alternative Solution feature in Buymanager allows you to:
- Search for Cross-References: Find equivalent or alternative part numbers (MPNs) for components in your Bill of Materials (BOM) or costing.
- Integrate Data: Combine search results with real-time information on stock availability, pricing, and lead times from various sources, including SiliconExpert and Webquote.
- Identify Mismatches: Highlight differences or potential issues between original and alternative sources.
- Cope with Shortages: Proactively identify and secure alternative components to mitigate supply chain disruptions and component shortages.
Why Do You Need It?
In today's dynamic market, component availability is a significant challenge. The "Alternative Solution" feature helps you:
- Mitigate Supply Chain Risk: Quickly find viable alternatives when original parts are unavailable or have long lead times.
- Optimize Costing: Compare prices and availability of original and alternative parts to make informed purchasing decisions.
- Improve Efficiency: Streamline the process of finding and evaluating alternative components directly within Buymanager, saving time and effort.
- Enhance Customer Proposals: Offer flexible solutions to your customers by providing validated alternative components.
Prerequisites
1. Buymanager Risk Management Module: This feature relies on the integration with SiliconExpert, which is part of the Risk Management module.
2. SiliconExpert API Access: An active SiliconExpert account with API access is required to pull cross-reference data.
Note:
- If you do not have the Risk Management module, you can still use a limited version of the "Alternative Solution" feature for Webquote pricing. Please refer to: How to use the Alternative Solution feature: for searching Webquote price
- For more information on the Risk Management module, including setup, please check: Risk Management Module Overview & Setup
How It Works: Step-by-Step Guide
This process involves initiating the search, reviewing results, applying filters, and integrating selected alternatives into your costing.
Part 1: Initiating the Alternative Solution Search
1. Select Components: In your Buymanager Costing or BOM, select the specific lines (components) for which you want to find alternative solutions.
2. Open Alternative Solution
3. Review Initial View: The Alternative Solution window will open, displaying the selected parts. For each part, you will see its current sources.
At this stage, you can:
- Tick sources: Select which existing sources you want to include in the costing.
- Use filters: Refine the displayed results (explained in Part 2).
- Switch parts: Navigate between different parts you've selected for the search.
Part 2: Searching for Cross-References with Stock and Lead Time
This step leverages SiliconExpert to find new cross-references.
1. Perform the Search:
Click the "Search" button within the Alternative Solution window. You will typically have two options:
- All sources search (blue rectangle): Searches for cross-references across all available sources.
- One by one source search (purple rectangle): Allows you to search for cross-references for individual sources.
2. Monitor SiliconExpert Requests:
- Each new search consumes one "request" from your SiliconExpert API license.
- The number of remaining requests is typically displayed before you initiate a search, allowing you to manage your usage.
3. Review Search Results: The results will populate with potential cross-references, including information on stock, price, and lead time.
Understanding Search Reading (Cross-Reference Details): Cross-references are integrated into the search results with additional valuable information:
- Category (Cross-Ref): Indicates the type of cross-reference (e.g., direct replacement, functional equivalent). See the "SiliconExpert Cross Reference Explanation" section below for details.
- Comment (Cross-Ref): Provides notes on the differences between the cross-reference and the original MPN.
- Status (Cross-Ref): Shows the current status of the MPN (e.g., active, EOL).
Part 3: Refining and Confirming Selections
1. Use Filters to Refine Results: Filters help you efficiently narrow down the search results in real-time. You can filter by:
- Suppliers: Limit results to specific suppliers.
- Packaging: Filter by component packaging type.
- MPN Relevance: Set a minimum percentage for the relevance of the cross-reference.
- Stock Availability: Specify a minimum percentage of stock required.
- Lead Time: Set a maximum lead time (e.g., in weeks).
- SiliconExpert Grade: Filter by the quality or type of cross-reference (explained below).
2. Manual MPN Search: You can also manually search for a specific MPN within the same window. Any new results found will be added to the existing list.
3. Update Alternative Solution Data (Refresh): To get the most up-to-date Webquote results within the Alternative Solution" window:
For the currently displayed part, click "Refresh Part Results"
To refresh results for all parts in your search, use "Refresh all parts results".
4. Select and Confirm: Once you have reviewed and filtered the results, tick the checkboxes next to the desired cross-references or alternative sources you wish to integrate into your costing.
Click "Confirm and close".
Part 4: Integration into Costing
1. Data Transfer: All selected MPNs (original and cross-references) will be moved to your costing page. They will include all relevant filtered information (price, stock, lead time, MOQ, supplier, etc.), similar to how Webquote data is integrated.
2. "AS" Shortname: Lines originating from the Alternative Solution feature will have a specific shortname, typically "AS" (e.g., similar to "WQ" for Webquote).
4. Automatic Valuation: After integration, you can perform an Automatic Valuation to choose the best price based on your requirements (stock, lead time, MOQ, etc.).
SiliconExpert Cross-Reference Explanation
SiliconExpert categorizes cross-references to indicate the level of compatibility and interchangeability. These categories help you understand the suitability of an alternative part.
