You can associate a list of manufacturers and their corresponding part numbers with any item. You can also specify the manufacturer's approval status, preference level, and identify whether or not the first article has been completed. This list of manufacturers and part numbers is called an Approved Manufacturers List (AML). The AML for an item is often defined during the new item creation and request process. The AML is thereby reviewed and approved by all necessary people. An item AML may be updated after item creation either manually or through a change order. The item's change policy determines for each phase of an item's lifecycle whether or not an AML can be updated and if a change order is required.

For more details about item change policies, see Defining Change Policies .

   To specify manufacturer part numbers when creating an item:

1. On the Create Item: Review Item Information page (typically the second step in the create item process), click the Manufacturer Part Number tab.

2. When the page refreshes, click Add Another Row.

3. In the empty fields for the row, provide the required information.

   Status

   If you know the approval status of the manufacturer and manufacturer part number, select it. Otherwise, leave this field blank.

   Preference Level

   The Preference Level indicates whether or not the manufacturer has been designated as preferred in the item catalog category. Preference Levels range from High (most desirable) to Low (least desirable). A manufacturer can have different Preference Levels for different items--this is a result of the items being in different item catalog categories. Hence, the Preference Level is specified at the item catalog category and not editable in this context.

   First Article Status

   First Article Status is a milestone that indicates whether or not a manufacturer has built and/or provided the first article.