Customer Part Numbers

Objective: To provide detailed background information regarding CPNs.

Difficulty: Easy

In this article:

1. The structure of CPNs
2. Immutability and individuality

Duro guarantees that each Customer Part Number (CPN) is unique even in the case that a component is rendered obsolete. This prevents your company from confusion and wasted time deliberating between different versions. 

The structure of CPNs

Each product and component is assigned a distinct CPN value to easily and uniquely identify it within a company's library.  Duro supports several industry standard CPN schemas, often referred to as "intelligent," "non-Intelligent," and "semi-Intelligent" formats.  The default CPN scheme for all of Duro's package options uses a "semi-intelligent" schema with a fixed length string of numbers in the following format:

<3-digit prefix> - <5-digit counter> 

In this scheme, the first three digits define the specific category for the product or component. The last five digits are simply a counter value which increments with every new instance of the selected category. 

To configure your account to use a different CPN schema or category configuration, please contact [e-mail] for more information.

Immutability and individuality

Once assigned, the CPN value is immutable* and cannot be reused by another component, even if the original component is deleted. This is Duro's guarantee to customers, for the purpose of removing the risk of miscommunication between team members and suppliers. Duro does not know if a CPN reference has been used in communications with a supplier outside of Duro's library. So, to be safe, Duro retires the number once assigned, ensuring there is never a chance that two different components use the same CPN value.

This guarantee makes the CPN field the most efficient reference value for tracking the history and usage of components and minimizing the risk of miscommunication between engineers and suppliers. While the component name field is more user friendly and readable, it is mutable and exposes a risk of subjectivity or ambiguity if not properly written.

*Note: The only exception for modifying a CPN value is if a component is still in DESIGN status and the category has been re-assigned. In this case, the CPN will update to use the new category's prefix code.