One aspect related to design of systems and methods for product manufacturing is portability, i.e., allowing for manufacture at multiple locations independent of the skill set of the contract manufacturer. Another aspect includes making data needed and generated during the manufacturing process readily accessible to various elements of the system infrastructure. The present invention contemplates design of manufacturing systems for products that incorporate technology in skilled areas. A preferred approach includes design of the product itself, data exchange between infrastructure elements, and making data accessible also for post-manufacturing functions. This includes storing manufacturing related data in a server and making such data substantially instantly accessible once the data is written in the server. Such data preferably includes software to configure production stations in a production portion of the system. A system design using this approach is particularly useful in the manufacture of a microwave radio.