Smart manufacturing network marks a paradigm shift where a production chain is described as a marketplace delivering product families on demand by engaging collaborating partners in product work routings that connect dispersed service-enabled systems and resources, materials, human expertise, and operation-equipment combinations.This paper highlights core functionality and advanced features of a manufacturing reference architecture for developing a highly connected, knowledge-enabled manufacturing network that decentralizes production control. Its purpose is to enable collaborative manufacturing of new products, response to product demand, allowing for greater production flexibility and variability of end-products. Customization is illustrated in the context of the automotive sector.