ISA-95 is the international standard defining how ERP and manufacturing operations systems (MES/MOM) integrate, using a five-level functional hierarchy from shop floor to business planning.
Definition
ISA-95 is the international standard that defines how enterprise systems (ERP) and manufacturing operations systems (MES/MOM) communicate and integrate. It establishes the functional model for manufacturing , Levels 0 through 4 , and defines the data models, terminology, and interfaces for each layer. Level 0 is the physical process, Level 4 is business planning (ERP). MES sits at Level 3. Almost every serious MES implementation references ISA-95 in its architecture design.
What this means when you're hiring
ISA-95 knowledge separates architects from configurators. If a candidate can describe the ISA-95 model and explain how it informs integration design between SAP and Opcenter, or between SCADA and MES, that's a strong signal of depth. I look for this in anyone hiring above Senior Engineer level , it's the framework that makes complex multi-system programmes coherent.
Where candidates get this wrong
ISA-95 is a standard, not a product. You can't buy ISA-95 compliance , you design systems to conform to it. Another common confusion: ISA-95 and ISA-88 cover different things. ISA-88 is about batch process control. ISA-95 is about enterprise-to-manufacturing integration. They're complementary but not the same.
How expectations change by level
In practice, ISA-95 fluency is a proxy for systems thinking maturity. The candidates who can draw the model from memory, explain where their current system sits within it, and identify where their integration architecture deviates from the standard , those are typically the people ready for Architect or Programme Manager roles. It's the kind of knowledge you develop over multiple large-scale implementations, not in a classroom.
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