#1 Manufacturing Glossary - SYMESTIC

Master Data Management in Manufacturing

Written by Symestic | Feb 25, 2026 2:45:48 PM

What is Master Data Management?

Master Data Management (MDM) is the structured governance of the core data objects that drive manufacturing. This includes products, materials, bills of material, machines, lines, work centers, customers, suppliers and quality characteristics.

These master data objects are the backbone of all operational systems. Planning, production, quality and analytics depend on them.

Why MDM is critical for manufacturing

Without MDM, different systems use different definitions for the same product or resource. This causes errors, wrong material planning, broken traceability and unreliable KPIs. MDM ensures a single source of truth for each master data domain.

Master data in production

MDM typically covers:

  • products and variants

  • bills of material

  • routings and work plans

  • machines and production lines

  • quality specifications

  • customers and suppliers

MDM as the foundation of digital manufacturing

All digital production systems rely on consistent master data. MDM makes OEE, throughput and quality metrics reliable and comparable.

Business value

Effective MDM delivers stable processes, accurate planning, reliable traceability and lower system integration effort.