Imagine you have a sofa model: 10 fabric options, 3 wood colors and 2 different sizes. These three features alone create 60 different combinations for a single model. When armchairs, double sofas, triple sofas and corner modules are added to the set, the number of stock cards reaches hundreds in a short time.
The real problem is not having too many options, but trying to manage each option as an independent product. Korgün ERP's flexible variant and dynamic bill of materials structure simplifies stock, bill of materials and cost tracking by organizing all combinations under a single main model.
Cost of Opening a Separate Stock Card for Each Combination
In classic stock management, a separate product card is opened for each fabric, color and size combination. This method, which seems regular at first glance, turns into a pile of data that is difficult to manage as the product family expands. Descriptions, product codes, bills of materials and prices are defined over and over again, even though only a few features of the same chair change.
Scattered Card Structure
- Hundreds of product codes are generated for the same model.
- bill of materials changes are applied separately to each card.
- The risk of opening duplicate and incorrect cards increases.
- Inventory and cost reports become fragmented.
Main Model + Variant Structure
- The product family is followed under a single main model.
- Fabric, color and size are selected as separate specifications.
- The bill of materials is created dynamically according to the order selection.
- Reports can be received at model and variant level.
How Does Variant Management Work?
In variant management, the product’s immutable identity is separated from the features that differ by order. For example, the "Lina Triple‑Seat" is defined as the main model, while fabric color, leg color and size options are kept as variant features linked to that model.
When entering a sales order and selecting customer preferences, the system explicitly defines the combination to be produced. Thus, while the sales team works with clear options, the production, warehouse and purchasing teams also see the technical counterpart of the same order. When a new fabric collection is added, updating the relevant option group is sufficient instead of opening dozens of cards.
The goal is not to eliminate inventory tracking. The aim is to prevent order-specific product combinations from creating unnecessary card crowds while monitoring in detail the raw materials and semi-finished products that actually need to be stocked.
Dynamic bill of materials: bill of materials Changes When Option Changes
For the basic structure of the bill of materials, semi‑finished layers and a sample bill of materials calculation first bill of materials and bill of materials guide you can review. This section explains how the same structure is adapted to color, fabric and size options in furniture.
In furniture, the variant not only changes the appearance of the product; It also affects the material to be consumed and the operation time. As the size of the seat increases, more fabric and sponge is required. When the color of wooden legs changes, the paint or varnish code changes. Depending on the fabric type, sewing thread, quilting process or labor time may vary.
KG-Palaimon Production Planning With , common components in the main bill of materials are defined once; Variant-related material and quantity rules are added to the bill of materials according to the selected features. When a work order is opened, the system creates the bill of materials appropriate to the actual combination of the order.
Linen Fabric
Effect on bill of materials
The fabric code selected in the cartel appears in the bill of materials.
Impact on Cost
The meter price and consumption amount are calculated.
Walnut Foot
Effect on bill of materials
The foot component and appropriate surface treatment are selected.
Impact on Cost
Material and operation costs are updated.
Large Size
Effect on bill of materials
Sponge, fabric and skeleton consumption is increased.
Impact on Cost
Additional consumption and labor are reflected in the order.
Timber m³, Sponge Piece, Fabric Meter: How Do Different Units Combine?
The second biggest difficulty in furniture production planning is that raw materials cannot be tracked with the same unit of measurement. Timber can be purchased by the cubic meter, fabric by the meter, sponge board or piece, glue by the kilogram, and screws by the box or piece. The bill of materials uses these materials in much smaller consumption quantities.
In a healthy ERP structure, controlled transformation between purchasing, stock and production units is defined for each material. For example, when purchasing a roll of fabric, it can be tracked by "roll", in the warehouse by "meter", and in the bill of materials by "meter" consumed per model. The fasteners in a box are converted to quantity and allocated to the work order in the correct quantity.
- Timber: The amount of m³ purchased; It is converted into production needs with cross-section, length and part information.
- Plate and Siding: The sheet size is matched to the parts to be cut; Planned use and slaughter residue are separated.
- Fabric: Along with the ball and meter conversion, the model, pattern direction and floor allowance are taken into account.
- Sponge: Stock based on sheets, blocks or pieces; It is attributed to the consumption of parts in the bill of materials.
- Auxiliary materials: Units such as box, kilogram, liter and piece are managed with standard consumption coefficients.
Distinguish Between Planned Waste and Actual Waste
Writing only the net part size on the bill of materials will underestimate the actual cost. Fabric pattern allowance, plate cutting gaps, timber defects and sponge placement cause a certain amount of planned waste. However, accepting every loss as standard waste makes inefficiency in production invisible.
Three Values for Accurate Waste Analysis
- Net need: The theoretical amount of material remaining on the product.
- Planned consumption: bill of materials quantity with standard cutting and production margins added.
- Actual consumption: The amount of material actually used from the warehouse at the end of production.
When these three values are compared, waste is no longer just an estimated percentage. It can be seen in which model, fabric, cutting plan or shift non-standard consumption occurs. When the usable parts remaining from the cutting can be put back into stock with their dimensions and specifications, they can be evaluated in subsequent work orders.
End-to-End Traceability from Order to Cost
When variant, bill of materials, unit of measurement and wastage data are combined in the same system, departments do not have to work on different files. Fabric and size selection in the sales order includes the bill of materials; bill of materials raw material reservation; Actual consumption feeds into the actual cost of the order.
KG-WMS Warehouse Management System With its integration, the delivery of the correct fabric roll, sponge batch or semi-finished product to production can be verified with a barcode. This reduces the risk of material being issued to the wrong variant, incomplete consumption record and confusion between orders.
Result: Multiple Choice Does Not Mean Complex Management
Offering rich options to the customer is an important competitive advantage of the furniture industry. Managing this diversity with hundreds of independent stock cards produces data pollution, incorrect bills of materials and uncertain costs rather than speeding up.
KG Palaimon production ERP and bill of materials management With it, you can define products in the logic of main model and variant, create a dynamic bill of materials according to the order, bring together different measurement units in a common production flow, and measure real waste on an order basis. Thus, while product diversity is maintained, the production plan, stock and cost are kept under control.
Industry equivalent of size, material and order options furniture manufacturing and store program on the page.
Plan Your Furniture Production from a Single System
Manage variant, dynamic bill of materials, raw material reservation, and scrap tracking in the same production flow with Korgün ERP.