【2025 Industrial Automation Updates】International Automation Association releases the latest ISA-95 standard

The newly released ANSI/ISA-95.00.01-2025 (IEC62264-1 Mod), namely \"Enterprise – Control System Integration – Part 1: Models and Terminology\", is full of highlights. Compared to the 2010 version, it accurately reflects specific functions within enterprises, draws clearer boundaries between enterprises and the fields of manufacturing and control, and achieves a higher degree of consistency in standard details. ANSI/ISA-95.00.01-2025, also known as ISA-95 Part 1, outlines the scope of manufacturing operations and control; it discusses how physical assets in manufacturing enterprises are organized, lists the functions related to the interfaces between control functions and enterprise functions, and describes the information shared among these functions. The update to Part 1 of ISA-95, 2010, includes changes that reflect enterprise-specific functions, emphasizes the boundary between enterprises and the fields of manufacturing and control, and aligns with other details in the standard.

“Updated Part 1 of ISA-95 reiterates the importance of achieving standardized integrated interfaces between these systems. It also reinforces the key role of ISA-95 in providing shared ontologies and semantic models for representing manufacturing operation information. This release provides the global industry with the terminology and structural foundation needed to design interconnected, intelligent, and agile manufacturing systems. ”

The core purpose of the ISA-95 standard is to create an abstract model for the exchange of information between manufacturing control functions and business functions within enterprises. By clearly defining the interfaces between these functions, efforts are made to establish a robust, secure, and cost-effective mechanism for information exchange. At the same time, it also defines key terms for integrated projects, fostering close collaboration between manufacturing personnel and information technology (IT) staff, thereby significantly reducing risks, costs, and errors during project implementation. As the wave of digitalization sweeps across the world, the structure of manufacturing enterprises is undergoing profound changes. Modular architectures have emerged in large numbers, with data becoming the key factor driving production. The latest version of ISA-95 Part 1 takes these changes into account, further reinforcing the importance of standardized integration interfaces and laying a solid foundation for the development of intelligent and efficient manufacturing systems.

The ISA-95 standard was developed in 1995 by the International Society of Automation (ISA); it is an international standard designed to integrate logistics systems with manufacturing control systems in a seamless manner. It acts like a bridge, spanning between a company’s business systems and control systems, and laying the foundation for efficient communication and collaboration between them. This standard framework comprises eight key sections, each with a unique purpose.

ISA-95 Part 1 (Models and Terminology): It provides a comprehensive overview of the areas related to manufacturing operations and control, delves into the way physical assets are organized in manufacturing enterprises, lists in detail the functions related to the interfaces between control functions and enterprise functions, and accurately describes the information shared among these functions. ISA-95 Part 2 (Objects and Attributes for Enterprise-Control System Integration): It defines the conceptual interface for the exchange between manufacturing control functions and other enterprise functions, focusing on the interface between the manufacturing system at level 3 and the business system at level 4 in the hierarchical model defined in Part 1 of the standard, with the aim of reducing risks, costs, and errors associated with implementing such interfaces. ISA-95 Part 3 (Activity Model for Manufacturing Operations Management): Defines the activity model for manufacturing operations management to facilitate seamless integration of enterprise systems and control systems; it provides a detailed description of the activity models related to manufacturing operations management, the functions at level 3, as well as some of the data exchanged between activities at level 3. ISA-95 Part 4 (Objects and Attributes for Integrated Manufacturing Operations Management): It further refines the object models and attributes related to data exchange among manufacturing operations management activities as specified in ISA-95 Part 3, emphasizing good practices for integrated manufacturing operations management throughout the system’s lifecycle. It can be used to enhance the integration capabilities of existing manufacturing operations management systems, regardless of the level of automation present. ISA-95 Part 5 (Business to Manufacturing Transactions): It defines transactions based on the information exchange between applications that carry out business and manufacturing activities related to Levels 3 and 4 of the ISA-95 model, facilitating the collection, retrieval, transmission, and storage of information, thereby providing full support for enterprise-control system integration. ISA-95 Part 6 (Message Service Model): It details a set of message services used for exchanging information between applications that carry out business and manufacturing activities at Levels 3 and 4 of the ISA-95 model, as well as among applications at Level 3, thereby defining standard interfaces for information exchange between systems. ISA-95 Part 7 (also known as the Service Model): Defines service and message concepts that are independent of technology, and is used to associate and map aliases (equivalent identifiers) as well as related contexts exchanged between applications in manufacturing operations and those in other areas. However, the identification of system organizations and owners, as well as the lifecycle management of equivalent object namespaces, are not covered by this standard. ISA-95 Part 8 (Information Exchange Profiles): As the latest update to ISA-95, it specifies methods for defining information exchange profiles for specific implementation groups of the ISA-95 model. It defines the object models to be exchanged at the interfaces between Level 4 and Level 3, or between Level 3 activities, as well as the verbs and nouns used in ISA-95 implementations.

The ISA-95 model establishes a clear architecture consisting of five layers:

Layer 0 (Physical production process): It vividly depicts the physical processes involved in factory operations, covering various machines and assets on-site or in the workshop. Layer 1 (Perceiving and controlling the production process): Focuses on data collection and precise control of physical processes, involving key devices that impact production such as sensors, smart devices, and valves. Layer 2 (Monitoring and Supervisory Control): It involves close monitoring and supervision of physical processes in manufacturing environments, with control devices such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and Distributed Control Systems (DCS) playing a key role at this layer.

Layer 3 (Manufacturing Operations Management): It includes systems such as the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, and is responsible for the overall management of manufacturing operations. The ISA-95 standard focuses on the interface between this layer and Layer 4. Layer 4 (Business Planning and Logistics): It encompasses all activities related to business operations, with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems being an important component of it.

The ISA95 Committee serves as the think tank behind the ISA-95 standard, bringing together top experts from around the world in the fields of automation, manufacturing, and information technology. When formulating standards, the committee used Purdue University’s Reference Model for Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (hierarchical form) as a foundation, striving to define in detail the abstract models of enterprises, establish a common terminology system to accurately describe and understand enterprises, and standardize the exchange of electronic information between manufacturing control functions and other enterprise functions. The doors of the committee are open to all those who are passionate about corporate development, allowing new ideas and strengths to be incorporated in order to keep the ISA-95 standard up to date and continuously improved.

Since the introduction of the ISA-95 standard in the mid-1990s, technological changes have been advancing at an unprecedented pace, giving rise to the era of intelligent manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Although the ISA-95 model was initially presented in a hierarchical format and data flows have become more decentralized today, this standard framework demonstrates strong adaptability thanks to its abstraction and versatility. It always focuses on the activity itself rather than specific technologies; as a communication model that is independent of technology, its value remains enduring.