# Smart Manufacturing Application in Precision Manufacturing
## 2 Methodology
### Integration Stage  
Integration is a key characteristic of industry 4.0. It focuses on the vertical integration of processes within operations as well as horizontal integration across the supply chain and product life cycle integration to manage the entire lifecycle of a product. This is achieved by an ecosystem of interconnected systems that allows data to be exchanged, with processes integrated across the value chain, which result in improved communications and an improved manufacturing process, with leaps forward in agility, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.  
Vertical integration is associated with the integration of the operational processes that lead to the production of goods and services [22]. Manufacturing processes that encompass production planning and scheduling as well as production execution/control are included within this scope. This was aligned with the strategy of creating a smart production management system for smart manufacturing.  
Figure 4: Architecture of connectivity stage of manufacturing system integration: (**a**) ISA-95 diagram; (**b**) manufacturing system connectivity and integration architecture.  
In this stage, vertical integration is achieved by integrating the business's enterprise IT system (e.g., ERP) with the manufacturing operations' management OT system (e.g., MOM) as well as the monitoring and supervision OT system (e.g., condition monitoring system) at the factory floor across the hierarchical of the ISA-95 level pyramid. Manufacturing data are exchanged via digital means and in relatively real time. As a result, it automates the relevant manufacturing processes (e.g., production orders release) and the exchange of relevant production and quality information (e.g., work in progress, production, and quality attributes) to different stakeholders across operations to gain insights into the manufacturing process, allowing fast and proactive decision making that enables the concept of data-driven intelligence in manufacturing operations.  
Figure 5a shows the ISA-95 diagram for the integration stage, where the production management system in Level 3 is vertically integrated upstream with the ERP system in Level 4 and downstream with the condition monitoring system in Level 2 and people and sensors in Level 0.  
Figure 5b shows the integration architecture diagram where the Supervised Manufacturing Acquisition System (SMAS) by Databone functions as a production management system. SMAS was integrated with Epicor ERP through REST communication protocols for exchanging bi-directional production information such as work order and schedule status. SMAS was also integrated with the Smooth Monitor MT-Connect database through SQL queries for near-real-time updates on machine status. Machine operators could access the SMAS web-interfaced machine dashboards via HMI tablets that were stationed next to each CNC machine, providing them with near-real-time updates on current production and quality information. Environmental sensors on the factory floor were integrated with the SMAS through an IIoT gateway using Brainboxes ED-549 (Brainboxes Ltd., Liverpool, UK) [36] that had multiple wired sensors connected. These sensors measured the current at the mains coming from the factory substation, the vibration of the air compressors, and the temperature of the factory at multiple locations. The IIoT gateway took analogue signals and turned them into digital data to be transferred to the network through a low-bandwidth Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) communication protocol, to be visualized using the SMAS plant view dashboard.