BOMIST

What is BOMIST

BOMIST is a specialized software designed for hardware teams, particularly in the electronics manufacturing industry. Its main purpose is to provide an all-in-one platform for managing inventory, Bills of Materials (BOMs), procurement, and production workflows. The tool helps users track electronic components and other parts, know their location, and monitor their usage. It simplifies the process of creating and managing complex BOMs for multiple products and revisions. BOMIST integrates with component suppliers to provide real-time pricing and availability, which helps in making informed purchasing decisions. The company is based in Lisbon, Portugal, and serves a global user base ranging from individual makers to large enterprises.

BOMIST Features

BOMIST offers a comprehensive set of features to manage the entire hardware production cycle.

• Inventory Management: Keep a detailed record of all parts. You can track quantities, storage locations, specifications, and datasheets. The system supports multiple storage locations.
• BOM Management: Create, manage, and version your Bills of Materials. You can compare different BOM versions and get quick cost estimates for various batch sizes.
• Real-time Supplier Pricing: Integrates with services like Octopart, DigiKey, and Mouser to fetch live pricing and stock information from multiple suppliers. This helps in selecting the most cost-effective components.
• Procurement: Automate the purchasing process. The software can generate purchase lists based on inventory shortages for a planned production run. You can merge lists for different products into a single purchase order for a supplier.
• Production Planning: Streamline your production line by reserving available inventory for specific builds. It helps create kit lists for assembly and automatically adjusts inventory levels after production is complete.
• Sales and Customer Tracking: Manage customer information and sales orders. The system can check if you have enough stock to fulfill an order and automatically updates inventory when an order is shipped.
• Barcode Support: Print barcode labels for your parts directly from the application. You can also scan vendor barcodes to quickly find parts in your system.
• Data Import/Export: Easily import data using CSV files. You can export your workspace data, or specific tables, into CSV, JSON, HTML, or PDF formats.
• REST API: Provides a local REST API to access your workspace data, allowing for custom scripts and integrations.
• Offline-first: The application works even without an internet connection. Your data is stored locally, ensuring you always have access.
• Multi-user and Real-time Sync: Team plans allow multiple users to work on the same workspace simultaneously, with changes updated in real-time for all users.

BOMIST Pricing Plans

BOMIST offers several pricing tiers to suit different user needs, from hobbyists to large companies.

• MAKER Plan: This plan is designed for individual makers and hobbyists. It supports a single user and has a limit on the number of parts that can be managed. It includes core features like inventory, purchasing, and barcode support.
• PRO Plan: Aimed at professionals and individuals running small businesses. This single-user plan removes the limitations on parts and products and adds advanced features like sub-assemblies, production planning, procurement tools, and sales tracking.
• TEAM Plan: Built for small to medium-sized teams. It includes all features of the PRO plan but supports unlimited users on a shared cloud workspace. It also offers role-based permissions and real-time data synchronization.
• ENTERPRISE Plan: This is the top-tier plan for large organizations. It includes all features and offers additional benefits like on-premises deployment, offline license activation, and priority support.

BOMIST Free Plan

BOMIST offers a free usage tier with some limitations. A single user can use the application for free to manage up to 100 parts and 3 products. This is suitable for very small projects or for evaluating the software's basic functionality. Additionally, BOMIST provides a 14-day free trial of its PRO plan for new users, allowing them to test all the advanced features before committing to a paid subscription.

How to use BOMIST

Getting started with BOMIST involves a few straightforward steps to organize your hardware production.

1. Sign Up: Create an account and start your 14-day PRO trial to access all features.
2. Import Inventory: The first step is to populate your inventory. You can add parts manually or use the CSV import feature to bulk-upload your existing component list.
3. Create Products and BOMs: Define the products you manufacture. For each product, create a Bill of Materials (BOM) by adding the required parts from your inventory.
4. Check Supplier Pricing: Use the integrated supplier tools to check real-time pricing and availability for the components in your BOM.
5. Plan Production: Create a new production build for a specific quantity of your product. BOMIST will tell you which parts you are missing.
6. Generate Purchase Orders: For the missing parts, generate a purchase list. You can then create purchase orders for your preferred suppliers.
7. Manage Assembly: Once parts arrive, you can reserve them for the build and generate kit lists for the assembly team. After production is finished, the system automatically deducts the used components from your inventory.

Pros and Cons of BOMIST

Pros:

• All-in-One Solution: Combines inventory, BOM, procurement, and production in a single platform specifically for electronics.
• Offline Access: The desktop application works offline, ensuring you can access your data anywhere.
• Real-time Data: Integration with major component suppliers provides up-to-date pricing and stock information.
• Scalable: Offers plans suitable for everyone from individual makers to large enterprises.
• API Access: The REST API allows for custom automation and integration with other tools.

Cons:

• Learning Curve: New users, especially those used to spreadsheet-based systems, may need some time to adapt to the workflow.
• Niche Focus: It is highly specialized for electronics manufacturing, which might make it less suitable for other types of hardware products.
• Desktop-centric: While it syncs to the cloud, the primary interface is a desktop application, which may not be ideal for users who prefer a fully web-based solution.

BOMIST integrations

BOMIST provides key integrations with electronics component distributors and data services to streamline procurement and part management.

• Octopart: Connects to the Octopart API to pull in comprehensive component data, including datasheets, specifications, and pricing from hundreds of distributors.
• DigiKey: Offers direct API integration for real-time pricing and availability checks.
• Mouser: Provides API integration to get live stock and pricing information from Mouser Electronics.
• TME (Transfer Multisort Elektronik): Integrates with TME for real-time component data.

These integrations are built-in and do not require complex setup, allowing users to easily compare suppliers from within the BOMIST interface.

BOMIST Alternatives

• PartsBox: A popular inventory management tool for electronic components. It is known for its user-friendly interface and is also targeted at individuals and small businesses. It is primarily web-based.
• Inventree: An open-source inventory management system that is highly customizable. It is a good choice for users who want to host their own solution and have the technical skills to set it up and maintain it.
• Aligni: A more comprehensive MRP (Material Requirements Planning) and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software. It is suitable for larger teams and offers more advanced features beyond basic inventory and BOM management.
• Katana MRP: A manufacturing ERP software that helps manage inventory, production, and sales. While not exclusively for electronics, it is a strong alternative for small to medium-sized manufacturing businesses.

BOMIST API

Yes, BOMIST provides a local REST API for users on its paid plans. This API allows developers and advanced users to interact with their workspace data programmatically. You can write custom scripts to automate tasks, generate custom reports, or integrate BOMIST with other software tools in your workflow.

The API key and documentation are typically accessible through the application settings once you have an active subscription. You would use standard HTTP requests to interact with the API endpoints.

Example of a basic API call using curl:

# Example to get a list of parts from your inventory
# Note: The actual endpoint and authentication method may vary.

curl -X GET 'http://localhost:PORT/api/v1/parts' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json'

For detailed instructions and a full list of endpoints, users should refer to the official API documentation provided by BOMIST.

BOMIST Affiliate program

There is no publicly available information about a formal affiliate or referral program on the BOMIST website. Companies that do not advertise an affiliate program may sometimes offer partnership opportunities on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in promoting BOMIST, it is recommended to contact their support team directly to inquire about any potential partnership, reseller, or influencer programs they might have available.