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Integrating
manufacturing and business systems is becoming more important as
companies seek to optimize their supply chains and move to more
responsive manufacturing strategies. ISA-SP95, a standards
development committee of the Instrumentation, Systems, and
Automation Society, has been working on a series of standards to
address this complex problem.
The
first in the series, ANSI/ISA-95.00.01-2000, Enterprise-Control
System Integration, Part 1: Models and Terminology, published
last summer, defines the interfaces between business logistics
systems (e.g., planning and costing systems) and manufacturing
operations systems (e.g., production tracking and historical
data management).
Manufacturing
operations systems handle the responsive control required to
manage local personnel, material, and equipment to meet
production requirements. ANSI/ISA-95.00.01 defines the
information associated with the integration of business and
manufacturing systems and defines the general functions of
manufacturing operations. The Part 1 standard does not define a
formalized protocol for information exchange, but future
standards in the series may address specific protocols. Part 1
is essentially a dictionary of common terms that IT and
manufacturing personnel can use to document the information
shared between their respective systems. Part 1 defines terms
such as lot, sublot, qualification test, and production
schedule. These terms can be the basis for requirements and
specifications for business-to-manufacturing operation
integration.
This
information includes the definitions of four main resource types
and four main exchange elements. The resource definitions
represent information about personnel, equipment, and material
that can be exchanged statically or dynamically. The models
include ways to define specific occurrences of material,
equipment, and people, as well as properties for the
occurrences. The models also include ways to define classes of
materials, equipment, and people, and properties for the
classes.
The
Part 1 standard is expected to enter into development as an
international standard this fall under the auspices of a joint
IEC/ISO working group.
The
second standard in the series, “ISA-S95.00.02,
Enterprise-Control System Integration, Part 2: Data Structures
and Attributes," is nearing completion and is expected to
be published later this summer. Part 2 contains additional
details and examples to help explain and illustrate the Part 1
objects.
For
more information about ISA standards, please visit www.isa.org/standards,
or send an email to Charles Robinson, crobinson@isa.org.
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