Mouser unveils new BOM tool

Mouser Electronics Inc. has rolled out FORTE — an intelligent and comprehensive bill of materials (BOM) management tool designed to increase confidence, save time, and improve order accuracy in specifying and purchasing electronic components.

Free to anyone with a My Mouser account, FORTE quickly validates part numbers, product availability and price, while recommending alternative products to reduce design and product lifecycle risks. FORTE evaluates the millions of daily interactions of purchasing professionals and engineers, and uses a unique relevancy engine that analyzes partial part numbers and descriptions to suggest the best options for customers — an industry-leading feature.

“At Mouser, we are always improving our tools to help buyers and engineers manage their specification and purchasing,” says Hayne Shumate, Mouser senior VP, Internet business. “Our original BOM tool was very helpful when customers loaded complete manufacturer’s part numbers. With FORTE, customers receive intelligent advice even when they search for outdated or partial part numbers.”

Makes the BOM-building process faster, easier to use, and easier to share

FORTE offers expanded customization, added intelligence, and enhanced part match confidence that makes the BOM-building process faster, easier to use, and easier to share. The tool remembers users’ preferences, spreadsheet layouts, naming conventions, and previous product orders. FORTE also offers legacy features like translations for all of Mouser’s supported languages, support for the most common file formats, real-time product pricing and availability, and easy purchasing directly from the BOM.

“We also wanted to simplify the workflow to get the customer through the BOM task faster,” Shumate adds. “The new tool can match a higher percentage of parts and help customers understand the confidence and risk of each part. With those thoughts in mind, we developed FORTE into what purchasing professionals really need in a BOM tool.”