There is an information systems technology that has been finding its way into the manufacturing world that addresses many of the issues associated with the costs and complexities associated with the configuration process. This technology is called 鈥渟emantic data models.鈥 Semantic data models are used to enhance data produced from shop floor equipment and other manufacturing processes by incorporating information (semantics) such that a software system can read the data and fully understand its meaning and how each piece of data relates to the manufacturing process.