The smart factory glossary
Every acronym from APS to UNS in one place. Plain-English definitions of the MES, MOM, smart factory and shopfloor AI terms you'll hear in projects and on LinkedIn.
Manufacturing is full of jargon. This glossary explains the terms you'll hear most in smart factory projects, in a line or two each. Bookmark it and come back when someone in a meeting says "UNS" with a straight face.
| Term | Stands for | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Agentic AI | AI systems that plan and carry out tasks towards a goal, using other software, rather than just answering questions. See Agentic AI and MCP. | |
| AI | Artificial intelligence | Systems that perform tasks normally needing human intelligence, such as recognising patterns or predicting outcomes. |
| APS | Advanced Planning and Scheduling | Software for detailed, constraint-based production scheduling beyond what ERP provides. |
| Backflushing | Recording material consumption automatically after production, based on the bill of materials rather than actual usage. | |
| Batch | A defined quantity of material produced together and treated as one unit for quality and traceability. | |
| BOM | Bill of materials | The list of materials and components, and their quantities, needed to make a product. |
| CAPA | Corrective and preventive action | A structured process for fixing quality problems and stopping them recurring. |
| CMMS | Computerised maintenance management system | Software for managing maintenance work orders, schedules and spare parts. |
| Connected worker | Digital tools that connect frontline workers to the information, instructions and tasks they need. See Connected worker. | |
| Cpk | Process capability index | A measure of how well a process stays within its specification limits. |
| Digital twin | A virtual representation of a physical asset, process or factory, kept in sync with live data. See Your MES is already a digital twin. | |
| EAM | Enterprise asset management | Software for managing the full lifecycle of physical assets, usually across many sites. |
| Edge | Computing done close to the machines rather than in a central data centre or cloud. | |
| ERP | Enterprise resource planning | The system that runs the business: finance, procurement, sales, planning and costing. |
| FPY | First-pass yield | The percentage of output that passes all quality checks first time without rework. |
| GenAI | Generative AI | AI that generates text, images or code, such as large language models. |
| Historian | A database designed to store high-frequency time-series data from machines and sensors. | |
| IIoT | Industrial Internet of Things | Connecting machines, sensors and devices so their data can be collected and used. See IIoT vs MES. |
| ISA-95 | The international standard for integrating enterprise and control systems. See ISA-95. | |
| ISO 22400 | The international standard defining manufacturing KPIs, including OEE. | |
| LIMS | Laboratory information management system | Software for managing lab samples, tests and results. |
| Lot | A quantity of material with a unique identifier, used for tracking and traceability. | |
| MCP | Model Context Protocol | An open standard that lets AI agents connect to other software systems and use their data and functions. |
| MES | Manufacturing execution system | The production pillar: executing orders, recording counts, scrap and downtime, calculating OEE. See MES vs MOM. |
| ML | Machine learning | A type of AI where algorithms are trained on historical data to predict outcomes. |
| MOM | Manufacturing operations management | The whole operation: production, quality, inventory and maintenance on the same data. |
| MQTT | A lightweight publish-and-subscribe messaging protocol widely used for IIoT. | |
| MTBF | Mean time between failures | The average time equipment runs between breakdowns. |
| MTTR | Mean time to repair | The average time it takes to fix equipment after a breakdown. |
| OEE | Overall equipment effectiveness | Availability × Performance × Quality. See What is OEE? |
| OPC UA | Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture | The industry standard for secure, structured machine-to-system communication. |
| OT | Operational technology | The hardware and software that monitors and controls physical equipment, as opposed to IT. |
| OTIF | On time in full | The percentage of orders delivered complete and on the promised date. |
| PLC | Programmable logic controller | An industrial computer that controls machines and processes. |
| PLM | Product lifecycle management | The system holding product designs, specifications and engineering changes. |
| QMS | Quality management system | Software for enterprise quality processes such as complaints, audits and document control. |
| Routing | The sequence of operations needed to make a product, with equipment and cycle times. | |
| SCADA | Supervisory control and data acquisition | Systems that monitor and control equipment in real time. See SCADA vs MES. |
| Serialisation | Giving each individual item a unique identifier so it can be tracked on its own. | |
| SPC | Statistical process control | Using statistics to monitor a process and detect drift before it produces defects. |
| Traceability | The ability to trace material forwards and backwards through production. See Traceability. | |
| UNS | Unified namespace | An architecture where operational data is published to one central, structured place. See OPC UA, MQTT and UNS. |
| WIP | Work in progress | Material that has started production but isn't finished. |
| WMS | Warehouse management system | Software for managing warehouse operations such as receiving, storage and picking. |
Is there a term you keep hearing that isn't here? Let me know and I'll add it.
Written by
Matt Barber
VP & General Manager for MES at Infor. Started as an MES developer, then ran projects, solution design and product. Writes about the smart factory, shopfloor AI and the MES/MOM foundations underneath them.
