avoiding part number conflicts in PDM?

[Per Kr]

we are about to implement a pdm system at our office, which is a great thing. Finally there will be order. But questions arise. Sometimes we will have full responsibility when it comes to the development of a product. Sometimes we will have a customer who will give us a product to work on with article numbers already assigned. Sometimes there will be a mix. And occasionally, a customer part number may collide with part numbers used by a different customer or by us, or just be close enough that they could easily be confused. We may have an article no. 1400035-01 while a customer may come in with 140003501. So I'm wondering, how have your company gone about making sure there are no conflicts in file naming between customers and yourselves within your systems?

One thought would be to always use our file naming and have the customer filename simply as a property of the file. Are there better ways?

 

[ewh]

Assign your own numbers.

"Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively."
-Dalai Lama XIV

 

[ctopher]

I agree, have your own numbers. You don't want to control a number that belongs to a customer.

ctopher, CSWP
SolidWorks '19
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[3DDave]

In the US many companies have a CAGE code - a 5 character unique identifier - so the full part number would be ABCDE-partnumber. It's used by the US government to avoid exactly that same problem.

Others just assign sequential numbers and use text properties to add other identifiers.

See

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_and_Government_Entity_code

 

[TheTick]

Have separate properties for customer part number and internal part number.

 

[looslib]

Either use the CAGE Codes as a prefix to the customer number or your own numbering with database fields in the PDM for the customer name, part number and revision. One thing to consider is revisions. You may need to revise a part/drawing for internal reasons (manufacturing, etc.) but the customer's number has not changed revision.


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