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Your BOM Deserves a Vacation – Let powerGate Do the Heavy Lifting

Written by Valentina Damia | Jun 13, 2025 9:25:30 AM

It’s summer. You’re sipping an iced coffee, enjoying the breeze. But back at the office?
Your Bill of Materials (BOM) is hard at work — again — being manually retyped into the ERP system… for the fifth time this week. Let’s call it what it is: BOM burnout. And it’s time for a better way.

Why Your BOM is Begging for a Break

In too many companies, engineering and operations still operate in silos:

  • Engineering teams manage files and drawings in Autodesk Vault
  • Procurement, inventory, and production run on ERP systems like SAP, Dynamics, or Oracle

And in between? A hot mess of:

  • Manual data entry 
  • Copy-paste marathons 
  • BOM mismatches 
  • Last-minute “Where’s that part number?” emails 

It’s inefficient, frustrating, and risky. Your BOM is exhausted. So are your engineers.

Meet powerGate: Your BOM’s Summer Assistant 🍹

powerGate by coolOrange is the digital bridge between Autodesk Vault and your ERP.
It removes friction, eliminates errors, and automates the heavy lifting — so your BOM can finally chill. Here's what happens when powergGate takes over: 

1️⃣ One-Click BOM Transfer

Pick your assembly in Vault. Click Send to ERP. Done.
powerGate handles the rest:

  • Mapping item numbers
  • Transferring full BOMs
  • Creating or updating materials
  • Attaching PDFs and STEP files

Your ERP is updated before your coffee gets cold.

2️⃣ Real-Time ERP Lookup Inside Vault

Need to check if a part already exists?
powerGate embeds live ERP data inside Vault and Inventor, so you can:

  • Search for part numbers
  • Check suppliers
  • Avoid duplicates
  • Validate materials on the fly

It’s like ERP goggles for your CAD view. 🕶️

3️⃣ BOM Comparison: Find the Heat Before It Burns You

Not sure what changed since the last release?

powerGate compares the BOM in Vault with what’s in ERP and highlights:

  • What’s new 🟢
  • What’s changed 🟡
  • What’s missing 🔴

Clear insights. No surprises.

4️⃣ Instant Feedback = Instant Fixes

If something goes wrong, powerGate doesn’t leave you guessing.
It tells you:

  • If a material number is invalid
  • If a required field is missing
  • If the ERP rejects the entry

Errors are stopped before they ever reach purchasing.

5️⃣ Engineering Change? Auto-Synced.

Update a drawing in Vault and trust that powerGate will:

  • Push the updated version to ERP
  • Flag outdated entries
  • Notify the right people

One update = system-wide clarity.

Bonus Features for a Relaxed Engineering Workflow 🏖️

  • Smart Numbering: Structured, sequential, or ERP-generated — you choose.
  • Insert Purchase Parts: Drag ERP parts into CAD assemblies as virtual components.
  • Deep CAD Integration: Everything happens inside Inventor and Vault. No awkward system-switching.

No more admin tasks for engineers. Just engineering.

powerGate Changes Everything

Without powerGate With powerGate
Manual BOM re-entry One-click, validated transfer
Frequent errors & mismatches Real-time ERP validation
BOMs out of sync Auto-sync between Vault & ERP
Procurement delays Instant ERP updates
Engineers bogged down Engineers focus on design 😌

Let Your BOM Soak Up the Sun 🚤

Whether you're syncing 50 parts or 5,000, powerGate guarantees:

  • Smooth transitions from design to ERP
  • No more late-night BOM fire drills
  • Version control peace of mind
  • A faster path from CAD to production

Your BOM deserves a break. And so do you.

Want to see powerGate in action?
Book a 15-minute live demo and watch your BOM take its first steps toward freedom.

 

Because your BOM deserves better. And so do you. 🏝️