ANTE User ManualBill of Materials (BOM)
A Bill of Materials is the recipe for an assembled or manufactured item: it lists the output item you produce and every component (ingredient or part) that goes into making it, together with each component's quantity, unit cost, and waste allowance. ANTE rolls those lines up into a total cost and a cost per unit so you always know what an item costs to build. Bills of Materials live under the Assets module.
Overview
To find Bills of Materials, open Assets → Bill of Materials in the sidebar. The page lists every BOM you have created, with its code, output item, status, component count, and total cost.
Each BOM has:
- An output item — the finished product the recipe makes — and an output quantity (how many units one batch produces).
- A list of components — the items consumed to build the output. A component can be a plain item or another BOM used as a sub-assembly (a nested recipe).
- A status that moves through Draft → Active → Archived as the recipe is finalized and retired.
- A version number shown next to the code.
Page Layout
At the top of the Bill of Materials page:
- Add BOM button (top right) — opens the form to create a new Bill of Materials.
Bill of Materials Table
The list shows these columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The BOM's unique reference code |
| Name | The BOM name, with its description underneath |
| Output Item | The finished item the BOM produces, with its SKU |
| Status | Draft, Active, or Archived |
| Components | How many component lines the BOM has |
| Total Cost | The rolled-up cost of all components |
| Ver | The BOM's version number |
You can search the list by Name, Code, or Output Item. The list is sorted newest-first by default, and the Code, Name, Output Item, Status, and Total Cost columns are sortable. Click any row to open that BOM's detail page.
BOM Status
A BOM's status controls where it sits in its lifecycle:
- Draft — a work-in-progress recipe still being built.
- Active — a finalized recipe in use.
- Archived — a retired recipe kept for reference.
You change the status from the detail page (see Changing a BOM's Status).
Common Tasks
Creating a BOM
- Open Assets → Bill of Materials.
- Click Add BOM (top right). The New Bill of Material form opens.
- Fill in the Basic Information section (see the field reference below). BOM Name, Code, and Output Item are required.
- Add the recipe's parts in the Components / Ingredients table (see Adding Components). At least one component is required.
- Click Create BOM. The new BOM opens on its detail page.
The Code is automatically converted to uppercase as you type (for example, bom-001 becomes BOM-001).
Basic Information fields
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BOM Name | Yes | A descriptive name for the recipe (e.g. Margherita Pizza Recipe) |
| Code | Yes | A unique reference code (e.g. BOM-001); entered in uppercase |
| Output Item | Yes | The finished item this BOM produces, chosen from the item catalog |
| Output Quantity | No | How many units one batch produces (defaults to 1; minimum 0.01) |
| Description | No | An optional short description, shown under the name in the list |
| Notes | No | Internal notes about the recipe |
Adding Components
The Components / Ingredients table is where you list everything the recipe consumes. For each line:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The component item, chosen from the item catalog |
| Qty | How much of the component is used (minimum 0) |
| UOM | Unit of measure (e.g. pieces); pre-filled when you pick an item |
| Unit Cost | Cost per unit of the component |
| Waste % | Expected wastage for this component, 0–100% |
| Line Cost | Calculated automatically — Qty × Unit Cost × (1 + Waste %) |
| Sub-Assembly | Optional — another BOM used as this component (a nested recipe) |
| Notes | Optional note for the line |
To build the component list:
- Click Add Component to add a new line.
- Choose the Item, then enter the Qty, Unit Cost, and any Waste %. The Line Cost updates automatically.
- To use another BOM as a part, pick it in the Sub-Assembly column. The current BOM is excluded from this list so a recipe can't reference itself.
- Repeat for each part. A running Total Cost is shown at the bottom of the table.
- To remove a line, click the ✕ button at the end of the row.
Viewing a BOM
Click any row on the Bill of Materials list to open its detail page. The detail page shows:
- A summary panel with Status, Output Item, Output Quantity, Total Cost, Created By, and Last Updated, plus the Description and Notes if present.
- A Components table listing each component with its item, SKU, quantity, UOM, unit cost, waste %, line cost, and any sub-assembly. Click a sub-assembly link to jump to that nested BOM.
- A Cost Summary panel (the cost rollup) showing Direct Material, Waste Cost, Total Cost, and Cost Per Unit, followed by a per-component breakdown. Components that are sub-assemblies are tagged.
Editing a BOM
- Open the BOM's detail page.
- Click Edit (top right). The Edit Bill of Material form opens, pre-filled with the current details and components.
- Make your changes to the Basic Information or Components.
- Click Save Changes. You are returned to the detail page.
Changing a BOM's Status
The status button on the detail page changes depending on the BOM's current status:
- A Draft BOM shows an Activate button — click it to mark the recipe Active.
- An Active BOM shows an Archive button — click it to retire the recipe.
- An Archived BOM shows a Revert to Draft button — click it to reopen the recipe for editing.
Deleting a BOM
You can delete a BOM from either screen:
- From the detail page: click Delete (top right).
- After confirming in the Delete Bill of Material dialog, the BOM is removed.
Deleting a BOM cannot be undone. The confirmation dialog asks you to confirm before the BOM is removed.
How Costs Are Calculated
ANTE works out the cost of a BOM from its component lines:
- Line Cost for each component = Qty × Unit Cost × (1 + Waste % ÷ 100).
- Total Cost = the sum of every component's line cost.
- The Cost Summary splits this into Direct Material and Waste Cost, and divides the total by the output quantity to give a Cost Per Unit.
When a component is itself a BOM (a sub-assembly), its own rolled-up cost is included, so the total reflects the full nested recipe.
Tips
- Use clear codes — the Code is your quick reference and is searchable; keep it consistent (e.g. BOM-001, BOM-002).
- Set realistic waste % — it feeds directly into the line cost and the waste portion of the cost summary.
- Build with sub-assemblies — define common sub-recipes once and reuse them as components in larger BOMs.
- Keep statuses tidy — leave recipes in Draft while you refine them, Activate them for use, and Archive the ones you no longer build.
💡 Note: A Bill of Materials is a costing recipe. Its Total Cost and Cost Per Unit are recalculated from the component lines, so keeping unit costs and waste percentages up to date keeps your product costs accurate.