Introduction
ENOVIA manages the Engineering Definition through Engineering Items (EI), which represent the engineering specifications of parts or assemblies.
Each Engineering Item is considered as either “Make” or “Buy” to support production planning. This definition indicates whether the item should be sourced from external suppliers ("Buy") or manufactured in-house ("Make").
To support flexibility in manufacturing, procurement and services, ENOVIA enables the use of Alternate Items and Manufacturer Equivalent Items (MEIs). These item types help organizations manage substitute parts while maintaining functionality, quality, and compliance—ensuring business continuity and supply chain resilience.
Definitions
Alternate Items
An Alternate Item is an Engineering Item considered as "Make" or "Buy" —that is interchangeable from manufacturing or services stand point, with the Primary Item (original one).
It is approved as such manually or through an engineering validation. Alternates support engineering flexibility and help ensure continuity when the Primary Item is unavailable, unsuitable, constrained by design requirements, or being phased out.
Manufacturer Equivalent Items (MEIs)
A Manufacturer Equivalent Item (MEI), could be only associated with a "Buy" EI. An MEI is a commercially equivalent product, produced by a qualified manufacturer that meets the engineering specifications.
MEIs offer equivalent performance and compatibility (same Form Fit Function) and are interchangeable from a procurement perspective. This allows them to be sourced from multiple approved suppliers without requiring changes to the original part design.
Creation and Management in ENOVIA
Alternate Items
Alternates are typically defined by Product Engineers using the Product Release Engineer (XEN) role. This role supports the full management of the product’s Engineering Definition—from initial concept through final validation—and allows engineers to define and associate Alternate Items.
For more information about managing Alternates in ENOVIA , please refer to the following dedicated posts:
Manufacturer Equivalent Items (MEIs)
MEIs are created by Component Engineers using the Supplier Item Manager (XSP) role. This role bridges Engineering and Sourcing by streamlining the introduction, approval, and qualification of externally sourced components. It enables organizations to define MEIs that meet engineering specifications while allowing procurement from multiple approved suppliers.
For more information about managing MEIs in ENOVIA, please refer to the following dedicated post:
