# Manufacturing Operations Glossary > Plain-language definitions of MES, WMS, QMS, CMMS, Unified Namespace, ISA-95, OEE, SPC, CAPA, EDI and more, with how each works in Fuuz. Source: https://www.fuuz.com/resources/glossary Glossary Plain-language definitions of the systems, standards and measures manufacturers talk about, from MES and WMS to Unified Namespace, ISA-95 and OEE. Where Fuuz handles a term, a line says how and links to the page. [Design a solution](https://www.fuuz.com/contact) [Explore the platform](https://www.fuuz.com/platform) ## A APS advanced planning and scheduling Software that builds production schedules around real constraints such as machine capacity, materials, labor and tooling, and re-plans when something changes. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz scheduling plans against real constraints and shares maintenance windows with the schedule. [Planning and scheduling](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/planning-scheduling) ASN advance ship notice An electronic message sent to a customer before a shipment arrives, listing what is in the shipment, how it is packed and when it should arrive. It is a standard EDI document. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz generates advance ship notices from what was actually shipped. [EDI](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/edi) ## C CAPA corrective and preventive action A quality process for finding the cause of a problem, fixing it and preventing it from happening again, with each step recorded and tracked to completion. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz tracks CAPA to completion and keeps the results in the production record. [Quality management](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/quality-management) 21 CFR Part 11 A U.S. FDA regulation that sets requirements for electronic records and electronic signatures in regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz is working toward 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, targeted for 2027. [Trust center](https://www.fuuz.com/trust) CMMC Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification A U.S. Department of Defense framework that sets cybersecurity requirements for contractors that handle controlled defense information. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz supports a shared responsibility model for customers working under CMMC requirements: we define which controls the platform provides and which you operate. [Trust center](https://www.fuuz.com/trust) CMMS computerized maintenance management system Software for managing assets, maintenance work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, spare parts and downtime history. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz manages assets, work orders and preventive maintenance triggered by calendar, usage or condition. [Maintenance management](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/maintenance-management) Cycle count Counting a small part of the inventory on a rolling schedule instead of shutting down for one full physical count, so records are corrected continuously. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz supports cycle counts and syncs balances to the ERP. [Inventory tracking](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/inventory-tracking) ## D Data historian A database built to store large volumes of time-stamped process data, such as temperatures, pressures and counts, and to query it efficiently. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz connects to historians as a source of plant-floor data. [Connectors](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/connectors) ## E Edge gateway A device or software running at a plant that talks to local equipment and systems and passes their data to a central platform, so the plant keeps working even when the network does not. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz uses native edge drivers in the Device Gateway for PLCs, SCADA and historians. [Connectors](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/connectors) EDI electronic data interchange The exchange of standard-format business documents, such as purchase orders, invoices and advance ship notices, directly between the computer systems of trading partners. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz runs customer transactions on the same platform as the warehouse and production. [EDI](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/edi) ERP enterprise resource planning The business system of record for finance, purchasing, sales orders, inventory and planning. It records what the business has agreed to do, while systems such as an MES record what actually happens on the floor. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz works alongside your ERP, receives its orders and posts results back. [ERP extension](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/erp-extension) ## F FEFO first-expired, first-out A picking rule that ships the stock with the earliest expiry date first, used where shelf life matters, such as food and chemicals. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz inventory and picking are expiry-aware. [Food and beverage](https://www.fuuz.com/industries/food-beverage) ## G Genealogy also called traceability The record of which materials, equipment, people and process steps went into each product, so you can trace forward from a material to everything it was used in, or backward from a finished product to its inputs. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz records genealogy from raw material to the shipped part. [Track and trace](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/track-and-trace) GraphQL A query language for APIs. A client asks for exactly the fields it needs in one request, and the server returns just that. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz exposes one GraphQL API over its data models. [Data platform](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/data) ## H HMI human-machine interface The screen an operator uses to see the state of a machine or process and to control it. ## I IIoT industrial Internet of Things Sensors, machines and other industrial devices connected to networks so their data can be collected and used by software. ISA-88 batch control standard An international standard (IEC 61512) that models batch manufacturing with recipes, procedures and equipment kept separate, so the same recipe can run on different equipment. ISA-95 enterprise-control system integration standard An international standard (IEC 62264) for how enterprise systems such as an ERP and plant-floor systems exchange information. It defines levels of a manufacturing operation and common models for production, inventory, quality and maintenance data. ## L Lot also called batch A quantity of material or product made or received together under the same conditions, identified by a number so it can be tracked, inspected and, if needed, recalled together. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz tracks inventory by location, lot and status. [Lot tracking](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/lot-tracking) Low-code and pro-code Low-code means building applications mostly by configuring screens, data models and flows instead of writing code. Pro-code means writing code where you need full control. Many platforms support both. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz supports low-code and pro-code development, or your own IDE. [Build](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/build) ## M MCP Model Context Protocol An open protocol that lets AI assistants and agents connect to tools and data sources in a standard way, with the tool owner deciding what each agent may access. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz documents an MCP server and applies role-based access to every query and mutation. [AI on Fuuz](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/ai) MES manufacturing execution system Software that manages and records production on the shop floor in real time: releasing work orders to operators, capturing quantities, scrap and downtime, controlling materials and recording quality along the way. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz releases ERP work orders to the floor, captures quantities, scrap and reasons as operators work, and posts confirmations back. [Production execution](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/production-execution) MQTT A lightweight publish and subscribe messaging protocol widely used to move data from devices and machines to the systems that use it. ## N Nonconformance also called NCR, nonconformance report A record that a product, material or process did not meet its requirements, with how it was handled (for example rework, scrap or use as is). **In Fuuz.** Fuuz records nonconformances and dispositions. [Quality management](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/quality-management) ## O OEE overall equipment effectiveness A measure of how well a machine or line is used, combining availability (was it running), performance (how fast) and quality (how much was good) into one figure. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz monitors OEE, downtime and process data. [OEE and machine monitoring](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/oee-machine-monitoring) OPC UA Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture A platform-independent industrial communication standard that lets machines, controllers and software exchange data securely and with a shared description of what the data means. ## P Paperless manufacturing Replacing paper travelers, work instructions and logs with digital ones on screens at the point of work, so records are captured as the work happens. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz provides digital work instructions and production records. [Aerospace and defense](https://www.fuuz.com/industries/aerospace-defense) PLC programmable logic controller A rugged industrial computer that runs the control logic of a machine or process and reads and drives its sensors and actuators. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz connects to PLCs through native edge drivers. [Connectors](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/connectors) ## Q QMS quality management system The processes and software an organization uses to meet quality requirements: inspections, nonconformances, corrective actions, documents and audits. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz runs inspections at the point of work and keeps the results in the production record. [Quality management](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/quality-management) ## S SCADA supervisory control and data acquisition Software and hardware that monitor and supervise industrial processes, collecting data from controllers and presenting it to operators in real time. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz connects to SCADA systems as a source of plant-floor data. [Connectors](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/connectors) SPC statistical process control Using statistical charts on live measurements to see when a process is drifting before it produces defects. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz runs automated SPC on live data. [Quality management](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/quality-management) ## U Unified Namespace (UNS) A single, shared structure for operational data in which every system publishes and reads the current state of the business, so systems connect to one place instead of to each other. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz persists its Unified Namespace and adds native data modeling, an ORM layer, a knowledge graph and one GraphQL API. [Data platform](https://www.fuuz.com/platform/data) ## W WMS warehouse management system Software that manages the warehouse: receiving, put-away, inventory locations, picking, packing and shipping, usually with barcode scanning. **In Fuuz.** Fuuz tracks inventory by location, lot and status across the warehouse and shop floor, updated by every scan. [Inventory tracking](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions/inventory-tracking) Work order An instruction to make a specific quantity of a product, or to do a specific maintenance task, with its materials, steps and due date. In manufacturing it usually starts in the ERP and is run in the MES. Reviewed November 2026. Definitions describe the terms generally; the "In Fuuz" lines describe what Fuuz does today and link to the page that says so. Missing a term? [Tell us](https://www.fuuz.com/contact). Keep going ## Go Deeper ### Guides MES, WMS, APS and IoT explained in depth. [Read the guides →](https://www.fuuz.com/resources/guides) ### Buyer's guide Choosing MES, WMS, quality and maintenance software. [Get the buyer's guide →](https://www.fuuz.com/resources/buyers-guide) ### Solutions How Fuuz covers production, inventory, quality and maintenance. [See the solutions →](https://www.fuuz.com/solutions) Get started ## Ready To Run Every Operation As One? Tell us what you run today and what you need next. We will map how Fuuz fits, without ripping anything out. [Start the conversation](https://www.fuuz.com/contact) Prefer to talk? Call [1-877-801-FUUZ (3889)](tel:18778013889)