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1.1 Digital Systems Landscape Map & Data Ownership

A manufacturing floor running on undefined system boundaries is a guarantee ofguarantees data corruption. When thean ERP triesattempts to read millisecond sensor data, or thea PLC attemptstries to query financial ledgers, the "Single Source of Truth" disintegrates. This results in phantom inventory, untraceable quality escapes, and network storms. You must strictly define the architectural layers (ISA-95) based on TimeData HorizonGranularity and Datafunctional Granularitydomain., Ifensuring a system is not the authorized master of aevery data point,point ithas mustexactly strictlyone consumeMaster that data, never modify it.Owner.

The 5-LevelCore FunctionalTrinity: HierarchyERP, MES, PLM

OrganizeModern yourmanufacturing digitalrelies stackon intothree fivepillar distinctsystems. levels.Do Datanot mustforce flowone vertically through these layers; skipping levels (e.g., connecting a Sensor directlytool to ERP)do createsthe unmanageablejob dependenciesof and security holes.another.

Level 4: Business Planning (ERP / PLM)

  • Time Horizon: Months to Days.
  • Unit of Measure: Dollars ($) and Aggregated Units.
  • Role: The ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) owns
    • The Domain: Finance, Inventory, Procurement, and Order Management.
    • The Question it Answers: "Why are we building this, and how much does it cost?"
    • The Boundary: ERP stops at the "Businesswarehouse Promise."door. It managesknows theyou generalhave ledger,1,000 salesscrews, orders,but andit materialdoes requirementsnot planningknow (MRP).which Thespecific screw went into which specific product.

    PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) sits here as the master of engineering definition.

  • Constraint: Level 4 systems are transactional. They are too slow for real-time control. Never let an ERP dictate the "Start" or "Stop" of a physical machine directly.

Level 3: Manufacturing Operations (MES / QMS / WMS)

  • TimeThe Horizon:Domain: Shifts,Engineering Hours,Design, Minutes.BOM (Bill of Materials), CAD, and Revision Control.
  • UnitThe ofQuestion Measure:it Answers: Serial"What Numbers,are Lots,we Pallets.building?"
  • Role:The Boundary: ThePLM owns the definition. It creates the "Digital Twin" of the product structure. It pushes data to ERP and MES but never executes production.

MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is the "Factory OS." It translates the business plan (L4) into executable work. It owns the immediate state of Work-in-Progress (WIP), enforcing quality gates and tracking genealogy.
  • Constraint: Level 3 is event-driven. It responds to operator scans or machine signals. It buffers the high-speed noise of the shop floor before reporting "clean" data back to Level 4.

    • Level 2: Supervisory Control (SCADA)

    • Time Horizon: Seconds to Sub-seconds.
    • Unit of Measure: Tag Values, Setpoints, Alarms.
    • Role: SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) aggregates data from multiple machines to provide a real-time visualization of the line. It handles recipe management and equipment state monitoring.
    • Constraint: Level 2 is supervisory. It does not execute the safety logic; it monitors the controllers that do.

    Level 1: Machine Control (PLC / Edge)

    • Time Horizon: Milliseconds.
    • Unit of Measure: Signals (I/O), Logic States (True/False).
    • Role: PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and Edge devices execute the physical logic. They read inputs and drive outputs deterministically.
    • Constraint: Level 1 is critical real-time. Any latency here results in physical damage or defects.

    Level 0: Physical Process (Sensors / Actuators)

    • Time Horizon: Physics (Continuous).
    • Unit of Measure: Volts, Amps, Pressure, Temperature.
    • Role: The actual hardware doing the work—motors, heaters, conveyors, and sensors.
    • Constraint: These devices have no "intelligence" regarding the product identity; they only know their physical state.

    Architectural Boundaries & Ownership Rules

    Assign system ownership based on the hierarchy level to prevent data conflicts.

    Financials & Demand (Level 4)

    • Owner:The Domain: ERPProduction Control, Quality, Genealogy, and Machine Connectivity.
    • Rule:The Question it Answers: "How is it being built right now?"
    • The ERP sets the target (Quantity & Date).Boundary: MES executes againstthe thiswork. targetIt but never changesis the originalbridge demandbetween record.the digital definition (PLM) and the physical reality.

    The Single Source of Truth (SSOT)

    Data duplication is the enemy of integrity. Establish a "System of Record" for every critical data object. Any other system that needs this data must be a "Subscriber," never an editor.

    ProductThe SpecsOwnership (Level 4)Matrix

    • Owner:Customer Demand: PLMOwned by ERP.
      • Logic: Sales enters the order in ERP. MES sees it as "Scheduled," but cannot change the quantity or due date.
    • Rule:Product Definition (BOM): EngineeringOwned specsby (BOM,PLM.
      • Logic: CAD)Engineers flowrelease fromRev PLMA ->in PLM. ERP ->calculates MES.cost; NeverMES createvalidates assembly. If a "rogueshop-floor revision"user directlychanges a part manually in MES, the MES.loop is broken. Forbid this.
    • Unit

      WIP & TraceabilityHistory (Level 3)

      • Owner:Genealogy): Owned by MES
        • .
        • Rule:Logic: The MES isgenerates the only system that knows the exact location of a specificunique serial number.number (UID). ERP only seesknows that "one unit was finished." The MES holds the aggregategranular "WIPhistory Value."(who, when, which machine).

        Machine Data (Level 1-2)

        • Owner: PLC/SCADA
        • Rule: The PLC owns the "Truth" of what the machine did (e.g., Torque achieved: 5.4Nm). MES records this value for history, but the PLC performs the immediate pass/fail judgement.

        Pro-Tip: Avoid "Grey Zone" duplication. A common failure mode is managing BillBeware of Materials"Excel Glue." If your Critical Path relies on a spreadsheet managed by a planner to translate ERP orders into MES schedules, your architecture has failed. The data flow must be automated and API-driven.

        Data Flow Strategy: Push vs. Pull

        Define how data moves between the pillars to prevent synchronization lag.

        Master Data (BOM)Push)

        in

        Static bothdata (BOMs, Part Numbers, Users) should be Pushed from the Owner to the Subscriber upon release.

        • Example: PLM andreleases ERPa manually.new Automate the interface: PLM (Design)BOM -> Triggers immediate update in ERP and MES.

        Transactional Data (Costing)Event-Driven)

        Dynamic data (Inventory Consumption, Status Updates) should be Event-Driven.

        • Example:
          • If Operator finishes a unit (MES Event) -> Then MES instantly decrements local WIP.
          • Then MES accumulates these events and sends a bulk "Production Declaration" to ERP (Execution)e.g., every shift or hourly).

        Shadow IT and the "App Trap"

        Well-meaning engineers often build isolated apps (PowerApps, SQL scripts) to solve local problems. While innovative, these create "Dark Data" silos that the enterprise systems cannot see.

        The Containment Rule

        • If an app generates data required for audits (Quality Pass/Fail, Traceability) -> It must integrate with the MES.
        • If an app is purely for visualization (Dashboarding) -> It can read-only from the Data Lake.

        Final Checklist

        Data Object

        Level

        System of Record (Owner)

        Consumer (Subscriber)

        Critical Interface Rule

        Sales Order

        ERP

        L4MES

        MES cannot create or delete orders.

        BOM / Route

        PLM

        ERP, MES

        Engineering Change Orders (ECO) start in PLM.

        Inventory ($)

        ERP

        MES

        ERP neverowns createsthe Orders;asset itvalue; executesMES them.owns the location.

        BOMUnit / RevisionTraceability

        L4

        PLM

        Syncs to ERP/MES only on formal Release.

        WIP Location

        L3

        MES

        ERP sees(Summary)

        MES onlyowns "Inthe Process"unique (doesSerial notNumber see bin/station).history.

        SerialQuality Number (UID)Limits

        L3

        PLM/MES

        MESMachines

        Machines generatesexecute andlimits; tracksthey thedo uniquenot identity.define them.

        Process Result (Pass/Fail)Costing

        ERP

        L3Sales

        MES

        Stored insends MES;"Time Summary sentSpent" to ERP.ERP for cost calc.

        MachineEquipment RecipeState

        MES/SCADA

        L2Maintenance

        SCADA/MES

        Do not hardcoderely recipeson inERP PLMfor documents.

        Sensormachine Telemetry

        L1

        PLC/Edge

        High-frequencydowntime data stays at L1/L2; only summaries go to L3.

        Inventory Count

        L4/L3

        ERP/WMS

        MES decrements inventory and updates ERP.tracking.


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