Humans are intelligent species good at abstracting, conceptualizing and, eventually, solving complex problems. The art of manufacturing requires different skills ranging from the design of a product to the organization of manufacturing process itself. As a product goes between being an intangible concept and a produced physical item in the hands of a customer, many data, information, knowledge and wisdom (DIKW) are created or refined. The article shows how smart manufacturing systems can be designed following the DIKW paradigm. Corresponding technologies and standards are identified and exemplified for all the levels of the DIKW pyramid.