A formalized description of industrial production is proposed covering various types of technological operations, various types of automatic machines, and various types of manufactured products. An important component of the formalized description is the probability of high-quality manufacturing of each technological operation by each machine and person. The task is to collect information about all types of technological operations, about all automatic machines and products in the country and make a unified database. The availability of such reference information will help make a quick decision on the feasibility of automating certain types of technological operations and produce products that are characterized by a minimum average cost.