Whenever you're faced with information overload on any subject matter, as is the case with many manufacturers considering Smart Manufacturing, it's important to take a step back and understand its first principles. ​ Without which it would be difficult and costly to realise the vision of Smart Manufacturing. ​ To help bring the First Principles of Smart Manufacturing to light, I invited Conrad Leiva for a podcast conversation. Conrad is the VP of Ecosystem and Workforce Development at the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, CESMII. ​ CESMII is a US Government funded institute with a mission to democratise Smart Manufacturing and make its methodologies and technologies more affordable and accessible to SME manufacturers. ​ Here's the outline of our conversation ​ ✅ Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII) ✅ A Brief History of Smart Manufacturing ✅ Smart Manufacturing Definition and Description of Key Terms ✅ The Seven Principles of Smart Manufacturing ✅ Flat and Real-Time Principle ✅ Scalability Principle, Enabled by Cloud and Edge ✅ Interoperable and Open Principle, Information Modelling ✅ The Role of ISA 95 in Smart Manufacturing ✅ Proactive and Semi-Autonomous Principle ✅ Sustainable and Energy Efficient