ISA-95 equipment model

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated June 16, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of ISA-95 Equipment Model

    The ISA-95 Equipment Model is an industry standard for representing industrial facilities and their production equipment hierarchically. It enables ServiceNow customers to define equipment model templates with multiple levels and level types, reflecting the structure and operations of their industrial sites. This model supports managing multiple facilities, mapping equipment entities, and controlling user access by site, allowing tailored visibility and management of equipment information.

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    Key Features

    • Hierarchical Equipment Mapping: Create detailed hierarchical structures starting at the site level, down to areas such as work centers and work units.
    • Multiple Sites Support: Define and manage equipment models for multiple industrial sites independently.
    • Access Control: Assign users site-specific access to ensure they only view and manage equipment data relevant to their location.
    • Equipment Model Template: Apply a standardized template that organizes equipment entities in a logical, hierarchical sequence for consistency and clarity.

    Equipment Model Structure and Level Types

    The model structures industrial sites into hierarchical levels, with specific level types to represent different functional areas:

    • Site Level: Represents the overall industrial facility, e.g., a car manufacturing plant.
    • Work Cell: A designated area with grouped resources working together to complete specific tasks efficiently.
    • Work Center: Comprises people, machinery, and equipment, with four level types to describe operational roles:
    • Process Cell: Dedicated areas for specific production stages, including automation and monitoring equipment (e.g., robotic welding cell).
    • Production Unit: Groups of process cells coordinating related manufacturing operations (e.g., welding, painting, assembly).
    • Production Line: Sequences of process cells or production units managing the end-to-end manufacturing process (e.g., automotive assembly line).
    • Storage Zone: Areas designated for storage of raw materials, work-in-progress, or finished goods, integrated with inventory management.
    • Storage Unit: Specific spaces or structures within storage zones for particular materials or equipment (e.g., storage for car paint or raw steel).

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Gain a clear, standardized view of facility equipment and production layout for better operational insight.
    • Manage multiple industrial sites within a single system while controlling user access per site.
    • Improve production oversight by organizing equipment and processes into recognizable, manageable hierarchical levels.
    • Support automation, monitoring, and quality control through detailed equipment classification and data collection points.

    The ISA-95 Equipment Model is an industry standard that represents an industrial facility and the production equipment in it. You can describe the Equipment Model entities in your facilities by defining an equipment model template that has different levels and level types.

    With this template, you can do the following actions:
    • Map your equipment model entities. With this map, you create a hierarchical structure.
    • Create multiple equipment models for multiple industrial sites.
    • Assign users to each site so that you can manage their access to the equipment model information for specific sites. For example, you can designate that users in Atlanta can access only the Atlanta site information but not the data for a site in Michigan. To learn more, see Assign or remove equipment model site access for non-administrators.

    The equipment models start at the site level and contain a detailed hierarchical structure that describes each industrial site. You apply an equipment model template to structure this data in a hierarchical sequence.

    The following graphic is an example of the standard ISA-95 default template that is delivered to you when you install the Industrial Process Manager. This graphic is a representation of a facility in Atlanta that manufactures cars.
    • The subordinate levels below a site represent the door assembly area, its own subordinate work centers, and work units.

      A work cell is a designated area within a manufacturing facility where a group of resources are strategically arranged to work together and complete a specific task or process efficiently. A work center includes people, machinery, and equipment.

    • The Work Centers and Work Unit levels each have level types. In this model, there are four different level types for the Work Center level:
      • Process Cell: A process cell is a specific area within a manufacturing facility dedicated toward a particular stage of production. It includes all necessary equipment such as programmable logical controllers (PLCs), sensors, and actuators to automate and monitor processes. Process Cell data is collected for control, quality monitoring, and diagnostics.

        For example, a robotic welding cell in an automotive factory.

      • Production Unit: A production unit is a group of process cells that work together to perform related manufacturing operations. In a production unit, you can coordinate the activities of process cells, manage material and data flow, optimize processes, and maintain quality.

        For example, in a car manufacturing plant, a production unit might include cells for welding, painting, assembling, and packaging.

      • Production Line: A production line is a sequence of process cells or production units that manufacture a product from start to finish. A production line provides overall control and monitoring, coordinate activities of all cells and units, manage the entire process from raw materials to finished goods.

        For example, an automotive assembly line where parts are assembled into a complete vehicle.

      • Storage Zone: A storage zone is a designated area for storing raw materials, work-in-progress items, or finished goods. A storage zone requires inventory management systems to maintain efficient material flow and availability.

        For example, a warehouse for storing raw materials before production or finished goods that are waiting for shipment.

      • Storage Unit: A storage unit in an industrial site refers to a designated space or structure used for keeping specific equipment, materials, or products.

        For example, in a car manufacturing plant there are designated storage units to store car-paint, electrical accessories, and raw steel.

    Figure 1. Equipment model template example
    Equipment model template example.