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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

Disrupting Habits in Manufacturing

Anurag Garg September 5, 2018

If you’ve spent time in tech circles, or if you’ve watched the show "Silicon Valley,” the term “disruptive technology” is used to describe anything new in tech. Unfortunately, the term is overused, and like most items on the Gartner Hype Curve, a lot of today’s “disruptive technologies” will quietly die out before they truly have the chance to disrupt anything. We saw this with all the hype…

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3 Principles for XR in Manufacturing

Barrie Vince August 6, 2018

It’s no secret that most manufacturers are focused on value-added activities, and often have little resources for technology research and development exploration—unless its dedicated to the development of new products. Decisions to invest in capital to run the business are not taken lightly....

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LiveWorx: Augmented Reality, IIoT, and the Future of Manufacturing

Stu Johnson July 16, 2018

If you’re wondering whether augmented reality (AR) is on the horizon for manufacturing, you can stop. It’s here, and it will change the way manufacturers use technology to benefit their businesses. By bringing together the digital and physical, AR has the power to dramatically change many manufacturing business processes such as training and asset management. ...

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AWE: Another Indicator the Wearables Are Coming… for Manufacturers

Jerry Foster June 18, 2018

Wearables aren’t just for gaming anymore. While that statement shouldn’t be a surprise, you might be surprised to learn—as I was—at the sheer number of AR, VR and XR devices now available on the market, and the industries they’re being applied to. From playing volleyball, to learning to ballroom dance, to owning and feeding a virtual pet, to being able to pilot and land a plane in an emergency…

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The Path Manufacturers Should Take Toward Industry 4.0

Plex Team June 5, 2018

The benefits of Industry 4.0 are crystal-clear. So, why aren’t manufacturers making it their top priority to embrace everything this new approach entails? In other words, why has adoption been so slow? According to TechVentive, it’s because many companies still lack the basic technology infrastructure that must be in place before they can exploit Industry 4.0....

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Industrial Automation and IIoT: What’s Next for Manufacturers?

Stu Johnson April 23, 2018

The question you probably get asked a lot by technology folks is what is your Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) strategy? I’d like to suggest that this is the wrong question. If these technology folks really had your business requirements in mind, they should be asking: what are your business strategies to leverage the value this evolution in technology enables?...

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Does Your Manufacturing ERP Software Do These 4 Things?

Dave Morfas March 19, 2018

Connected manufacturing is a business strategy that leverages cloud computing to harness operational and business data and promises greater visibility, efficiency, control, and customer satisfaction. Our customers have adopted this strategy —and they’ve been able to drive down costs while gaining greater visibility and control....

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What Are the Benefits of Going Digital for Manufacturing Companies?

Stu Johnson March 8, 2018

Every business has its challenges. The challenges you, as a manufacturer, face today include fluctuating customer demand, supply chain planning, inventory cost control, compliance requirements—and a major technology evolution in the form of Industry 4.0....

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How to Determine ROI and Long-Term Value for a Manufacturing ERP System

Stu Johnson March 5, 2018

Modernizing your ERP is a major investment in the long-term success of your manufacturing business. And like other manufacturers, you’re probably worried about the cost, the potential disruption to your business, and the kind of return you can expect from your investment....

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7 Common Mistakes Manufacturers Make with ERP Implementations

Dave Morfas March 5, 2018

We’ve learned a lot about what success looks like from implementing the Plex Manufacturing Cloud at thousands of manufacturing plants across the globe. Many of these ERP implementation lessons have come from discovering what not to do....

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