Sourced by Cofactr

High-mix, low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing lives at the intersection of complexity and chaos. In this episode of Sourced by Cofactr Ed unpacks why traditional approaches to bills of materials (BOMs) fall apart when every product run is unique and every part number matters.

Ed dives deep into the real-world struggles of HMLV teams—fragmented data, duplicate buys, and the never-ending battle against minimum order quantities—and explains how smarter BOM design can turn the tide. From the power of internal part numbers and approved vendor lists to the discipline of revision control and data normalization, this conversation lays out nine essential best practices for bringing order to the madness.

If your production line is built on small batches, tight margins, and mission-critical precision, this episode shows how to stop BOM chaos before it starts, and why clean, connected data is the ultimate competitive advantage in high-mix manufacturing.

What is Sourced by Cofactr?

Sourced by Cofactr is hosted by Ed Dodd. From Navy destroyer ships to Fortune 500 supply chains, Ed brings 30+ years of experience understanding why things break - and how to prevent it. He helps hardware teams bridge the gap between “how it’s always been done” and “how it needs to be done,” without breaking the bank or losing compliance.

Cofactr (YC W22) is building the future of hardware operations. Each episode cuts through the noise to show how modern teams streamline procurement, source with confidence, and build resilient supply chains that scale.

When Ed’s not untangling supply chain puzzles, he’s running D&D campaigns for his five kids - because whether it’s hardware or heroes, good systems are all about planning ahead and adapting when things don’t go as expected.
Visit us at: https://cofactr.com

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