Significant Versus Non-significant Part Numbers
In general, there are two types of part numbering systems: significant (a.k.a. "intelligent") and non-significant (a.k.a. "non-intelligent").
- In a significant part numbering system, the part numbers are assigned intelligently, according to an encoding system, and thus they give an indication of salient characteristics of the component. For example, a screw may have the part number "HSC0424PP"; in this case, the letters indicate characteristics of the component:
- H = "Hardware"
- S = "Machine Screw"
- C0424 = "4-40, 3/4" long"
- PP = "Panhead Phillips"
- In a non-significant part numbering system, part numbers are assigned in some other fashion, such as sequentially or arbitrarily. For example, a screw may have the part number "1002", which may not tell the user anything about its thread size, length of shank, or drive type.
Significant part numbering systems are easier to use if you are trying to identify an item though the use of its code inside your company rather than a long description; however, many variations can start to appear when the code is used by other companies, which may be your distributors, and then people can become confused. Non-significant part numbers are easier to assign and manage. You can still create a structure where you can have a category and then a sequential number e.g. 231-1002 (2=Hardware 3=Screw 1=Phillips then the unique number 1002) This is also more efficient for data entry where using numbers and dashes are part of a normal keypad which means you don't have to use both hands on a keyboard. One other bonus is that people usually understand numbers easier, and when you store products in a warehouse, you can put items in numerical order (for example, lower numbers at one end of an aisle, and as you continue, the numbers increase).
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