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Smart Manufacturing Blog

Welcome to your source for all things smart manufacturing. Whether you’re looking for expert insights, hard data, or actionable tips for your plant floor, we’ve got you covered every week of the year.

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Innovation and Technology

Plex Manufacturing Blog

Advanced Manufacturing Technology: Why You Might Be Farther Ahead Than You Think

Jerry Foster December 21, 2016

Technological capabilities are advancing exponentially, and business leaders everywhere are asking the question, “How do I take advantage of all these new capabilities without losing focus on my core business?” Manufacturers are no exception. ...

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How to Solve the Manufacturing Talent Gap: Unlock People Potential with Cloud ERP

Plex Team December 19, 2016

As a manufacturer, you face some tough hiring challenges. A 2016 report from IDG states that nearly one-third of those surveyed list the lack of skilled workers as a major obstacle to growth, one which must be addressed to grow effectively....

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3 Ways Technology Enhances Modern Manufacturing Operations

Plex Team December 12, 2016

Manufacturers wrestle with a challenging environment—global economic uncertainty, political pressure on trade, and the need to properly time investments for the future. Driving efficiency, productivity, and higher quality remain top of mind objectives, and manufacturers remain vigilant evaluating the tools, processes, and technologies to help meet these goals....

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Automotive Industry Embraces the Industrial Internet of Things

Plex Team November 18, 2016

Recently, Plex Systems was invited to introduce a panel on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for the World Class Manufacturing track at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), Management Briefing Seminar (MBS). ...

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Two Reasons Manufacturers Should Consider SaaS and Cloud ERP

Plex Team September 20, 2016

Two Key Takeaways from the Forrester SaaS Report Forrester recently published a report highlighting six breakout SaaS vendors and the unique benefits delivered by SaaS solutions. The vendors that Forrester included in its May 2016 report, entitled Breakout Vendors: SaaS Business Applications, all had a track record of customer wins and fast growth, a strong ecosystem of partners and investors —…

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Oracle Hoping NetSuite Purchase Will Provide Entry to Cloud ERP Market

Jim Shepherd August 2, 2016

If there was any remaining doubt that the ERP market has shifted to the cloud it was dispelled last week when Oracle announced its intent to buy NetSuite for $9.3B. Despite already owning four different ERP products the company has clearly recognized that native, multi-tenant SaaS products like NetSuite, Plex, Workday, and Salesforce.com are the future of enterprise software....

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Debunking Cloud Myths: All Cloud ERP Is Not the Same

Jim Shepherd July 20, 2016

Mint Jutras, an ERP industry analyst firm, may have said it best: “All SaaS is cloud computing, but not all cloud computing is SaaS.“ There are huge benefits with systems made for the cloud versus those that are simply hosted in or converted to the cloud, and understanding those differences is important in an environment where software vendors do everything they can to confuse buyers....

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MFC Netform Capitalizes on Demand with Impressive Automated Operations

Plex Team June 30, 2016

Dennis Howlette, Co-Founder of Diginomica, shares highlights of his tour of the MFC Netform factory. MFC Netform is primarily a maker of powertrain parts for the automotive industry using flow forming processes....

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Debunking Cloud Myths: Total Cost of Ownership

Jim Shepherd June 29, 2016

I always welcome conversation about this statement – “ERP is much cheaper to run if I just own the software instead of renting it in the cloud.” It’s an opportunity to expose the true cost of legacy software ownership. TCO analysis is too often limited to comparing one-time license costs to ongoing subscription costs, ignoring more significant ‘ownership’ costs that add up....

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Debunking Cloud Myths: Security and Reliability

Jim Shepherd May 23, 2016

At every trade show we attend, someone comes up and says, “I just don’t trust that the cloud is secure or reliable.” This myth comes from years of misinformation and, frankly, perceptions created by software vendors that have poor cloud solutions and are desperately playing catch-up....

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