Applications to be connected, particularly MES (manufacturing execution system) applications, as well as the communications mechanisms are depicted in the object model of the framework (IF; IF meaning industrial framework) by using wrappers and/or adapters and, as a result, can be manipulated in a uniformly homogenous manner in the framework. The invention is advantageous in that the very heterogeneous structures of the applications are depicted on a common model and can be comfortably and easily used by a user by means of generic mechanisms. That is to say that the effort of programming is eliminated and, as a result, this communication can be easily projected by establishing a so-called connection.