Configuration & Variant Management Software for Manufacturers
Nora IPLM helps manufacturing and engineering teams manage configurable products without duplicating BOMs for every variation. Define product families, options, rules, and effectivity conditions once, then generate accurate configured BOMs for specific products, orders, markets, or customers.
Product variety is growing faster than static BOMs can support.
Manufacturers are under pressure to offer more choices, regional versions, customer-specific requirements, and configurable product families without slowing engineering or creating uncontrolled product data.
Nora IPLM gives teams a structured way to manage product variety through reusable product platforms, rule-based configuration logic, and connected lifecycle traceability.
What is Configuration & Variant Management?
Configuration and variant management is the process of defining product options, rules, dependencies, and valid combinations so teams can generate accurate configured products without duplicating product structures.
Structure reusable product platforms, models, options, and features in one place.
Use configuration rules to prevent invalid options, missing dependencies, and manual errors.
Filter a 150% BOM into the precise 100% configured BOM required for a product, order, or market.
Static BOMs work for simple products. They break down when products become configurable.
Separate BOMs for every model, option, market, or customer requirement create duplicate data, repeated engineering work, and higher risk of inconsistency.
Duplicate BOMs
Separate BOMs appear for similar variations, creating repeated product data.
Manual Updates
Teams repeat updates across multiple structures instead of changing shared logic once.
Invalid Combinations
There is no reliable way to validate option combinations before release.
Limited Traceability
Teams struggle to connect customer orders to the exact final BOM that was built.
Conflicting Data
Outdated or conflicting product data can move downstream unnoticed.
Slower Launches
Repeated engineering changes delay decisions, releases, and product launches.
Manage every product configuration from one connected source of truth.
Nora IPLM connects product families, options, configuration rules, BOMs, documents, revisions, CAD references, engineering changes, and manufacturing-ready outputs in one controlled environment.
- Product families, models, options, and features
- 150% BOM / Super BOM structures
- Configuration rules, dependencies, and effectivity
- Parts, documents, CAD references, changes, and approvals
Convert broad product possibilities into exact build-ready BOMs.
Nora IPLM uses a 150% BOM, also known as a Super BOM, to manage all possible parts, modules, features, and options within a product family. Configuration rules then filter the complete structure to generate the exact 100% BOM required for a specific variant.
Define the product family
Create a reusable structure for models, modules, and product lines.
Build the 150% BOM
Store all possible parts, features, assemblies, and options in one Super BOM.
Apply configuration rules
Use dependencies, exclusions, and effectivity logic to control valid combinations.
Select the configuration
Choose customer, order, market, model, or feature-specific parameters.
Generate the 100% BOM
Produce the exact BOM needed for manufacturing, procurement, planning, and delivery.
Prevent invalid configurations before they reach manufacturing.
Rule-based configuration lets teams define which options are required, optional, compatible, dependent, exclusive, available by market, or valid for a specific date, revision, customer, or manufacturing constraint.
Feature-rich controls for configuration and variant work.
Manage product options, attributes, feature families, and option groups in one controlled environment.
Maintain one reusable 150% BOM that contains all valid possible product components and options.
Define compatibility, dependency, exclusion, effectivity, and availability rules to protect product accuracy.
Generate the correct 100% configured BOM for manufacturing, procurement, planning, and delivery.
Trace selected options, rule decisions, engineering changes, and final configured outputs across the lifecycle.
Update shared product logic once and keep related variants aligned through controlled change workflows.
Move from duplicated structures to controlled product logic.
Replace spreadsheets with controlled configuration logic.
Spreadsheets may work for a few product options, but they become risky when variants, rules, revisions, and engineering changes increase.
Nora IPLM replaces scattered spreadsheets and manually maintained BOMs with controlled, traceable configuration logic inside your PLM system.
Benefits
- Rule-based validation instead of manual checking
- Revision and lifecycle control
- Change impact visibility
- Connected BOM, document, and CAD data
- Traceability from configuration decision to final output
Scale product customization without adding operational complexity.
Avoid creating and maintaining separate BOMs for every product variation. Nora IPLM lets teams manage product complexity from one reusable structure.
Configuration rules help ensure only valid product combinations are selected, approved, and sent downstream.
Create market-specific, customer-specific, or order-specific variants faster using existing platforms, options, and rules.
Reduce repetitive engineering work by reusing product structures and applying changes across related variants more efficiently.
Provide manufacturing teams with accurate configured BOMs so they know exactly what to build, source, and deliver.
Track options, rules, changes, approvals, and configured outputs from engineering through manufacturing and delivery.
Built for manufacturers managing complex product families.
Nora IPLM Configuration & Variant Management is ideal for teams that manage:
Configurable machinery and equipment
Industrial products with optional assemblies
Equipment sold in different regional versions
Customer-specific engineering requirements
Product platforms with reusable modules
Mechanical, electrical, and software-driven product variations
Manufacturing BOMs derived from engineering BOMs
Products with frequent engineering changes across many variants
Products currently managed through Excel-based option lists
Designed for every team involved in product configuration.
Engineering Teams
Reduce duplicate structures and manage product logic from one controlled environment.
Manufacturing Teams
Receive accurate configured BOMs for each order, market, or product variant.
Product Managers
Control product families, platform strategies, option availability, and market-specific variants.
Procurement Teams
Source the exact configured parts and assemblies needed for each valid product output.
Quality and Compliance Teams
Trace configurations, changes, approvals, and released product structures across the lifecycle.
Leadership Teams
Scale product variety while reducing rework, errors, and operational complexity.
Configuration control built for modern product teams.
PLM-Native Configuration Control
Manage configuration and variant logic directly inside the product lifecycle environment.
Built for 150% BOM and Configured BOM Workflows
Create one Super BOM and derive correct 100% BOMs based on selected rules, options, and conditions.
Practical for Growing Manufacturing Teams
Move away from Excel-based variant tracking and manual BOM duplication without adding unnecessary complexity.
Connected from Engineering to Manufacturing
Keep configuration logic linked to structures, lifecycle states, engineering changes, and manufacturing outputs.
Better Control Without Slowing Teams Down
Scale product variety while maintaining accuracy, visibility, and lifecycle governance.
Ready to simplify product complexity?
Explore how Nora IPLM helps manufacturers manage variants, reduce BOM duplication, and generate accurate configured BOMs from one connected PLM environment.
Frequently asked questions about Configuration & Variant Management.
Configuration & Variant Management in PLM helps teams define product options, rules, dependencies, and valid combinations so they can manage product variety without duplicating BOMs for every variation.
Product configuration focuses on selecting valid options and rules for a specific product. Variant management focuses on organizing and controlling multiple product variations across models, markets, customers, and lifecycle stages.
A 150% BOM, or Super BOM, contains all possible parts, modules, options, and features for a product family. Configuration rules filter it into the exact BOM needed for a specific product variant.
A 100% configured BOM is the exact product structure required for a specific order, customer, market, or configuration. It includes only the valid components selected from the broader 150% BOM.
Instead of creating separate BOMs for every product variation, teams maintain one reusable product structure with rules and options. This reduces repeated data, manual updates, and inconsistent product information.
Yes. Nora IPLM helps teams manage customer-specific, market-specific, order-specific, and region-specific configurations using controlled options, rules, and effectivity conditions.
Rules define which options are required, optional, dependent, mutually exclusive, or valid for a given model, customer, market, revision, or date. This helps prevent invalid product combinations.
Manufacturers need variant management to control product complexity, reduce engineering rework, improve manufacturing accuracy, and maintain traceability across product families, BOMs, changes, and orders.
Rule-based configuration validates choices before they move downstream. It prevents incompatible options, missing dependencies, outdated revisions, and invalid BOM structures from reaching manufacturing.
Yes. Nora IPLM replaces disconnected spreadsheets with controlled configuration data, lifecycle traceability, rule validation, and connected BOM workflows inside a PLM environment.