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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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Modern Manufacturing

Plex Manufacturing Blog

Why Aren’t There More Women in Manufacturing?

Plex Team September 21, 2015

The manufacturing industry has undergone tremendous transformation. Smart machines line the plant floor, products are customized in near real time, and mobile devices are used to provide insight into operations 24x7x365....

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Plex Insight: Internet of Things Brings Increased Manufacturing Intelligence

Jerry Foster August 20, 2015

For FloraCraft, the world’s largest fabricator and supplier of foam products for the craft, floral, display and special event industries, one-tenth of a penny determines a product’s profitability. Like FloraCraft, the manufacturing industry has always been data-driven, and the greatest proof of this is perhaps manufacturers’ historic understanding and focus on the cost of goods sold....

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Could Detroit be the Next Technology Hub?

Plex Team April 15, 2015

Last week’s Fortune article asks the question: Is Detroit the next Silicon Valley? While on the surface these two areas seem quite different – one known for auto manufacturing and the other a hub for technology – the two areas are more similar than you might think. Today, the industries are colliding and shop floors are going hi-tech....

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Manufacturing's Resurgence

Plex Team March 19, 2015

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Forbes’ second annual Reinventing America Summit, a gathering of key players in the advanced manufacturing ecosystem. The innovation, ingenuity and enthusiasm on display reinforced my conviction in the resurgence of American manufacturing and our ability to compete globally. ...

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Why More Manufacturers Are Finding Quality Maturity in the Cloud

Mike Roberts December 4, 2014

All manufacturers—from startups to those in the Fortune 100—are concerned with quality. However, where each is along the path to quality maturity varies. At LNS Research, we like to refer to the process of progressing forward on this path as an “endless journey,” because with an ever-evolving set of quality obstacles as well as continual innovation in strategies and technologies, there’s room for…

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What A and D Suppliers Need to Know About Quality and Compliance in 2014

Matthew Littlefield October 8, 2014

There’s a lot happening in A&D right now. While public focus will likely always remain on large organizations—Boeing, Airbus, Raytheon, and more—the ears of executives leading tier 3, 2, and 1 suppliers must be burning. Nearly all of today’s large A&D OEMs are looking to the supplier network to identify areas for improvement, and it’s putting pressure on those organizations to make…

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Has Manufacturing Forgotten that "Quality Is Free"?

Jim Shepherd October 2, 2014

All the recent news about recalls in the motor vehicle industry got me thinking about quality management. In 1979 I was the VP of Manufacturing in a company producing switches and motors for the appliance industry. ...

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Guest Post: Cloud: the Key to Global Sourcing Strategy

Ann Grackin February 18, 2014

Developing a global sourcing model to serve a world-wide customer base as well as to manage global operations in a seamless way, manufacturers have adopted a ‘build anywhere-ship anywhere strategy.’ Adopting a cloud manufacturing system is emerging as the best strategy to quickly enable these capabilities....

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How Cloud Computing Is Enabling An Artisanal Manufacturing Renaissance

Plex Team December 7, 2013

A manufacturing revolution is flourishing. Driven by passionate entrepreneurs, this revolution is translating their creativity, craftsmanship and commitment to exceptional quality into products that are changing entire industries. These revolutionaries bring a passion and intensity to every aspect of their businesses....

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How Cloud Computing Is Enabling An Artisanal Manufacturing Renaissance

Plex Team December 7, 2013

A manufacturing revolution is flourishing. Driven by passionate entrepreneurs, this revolution is translating their creativity, craftsmanship and commitment to exceptional quality into products that are changing entire industries. These revolutionaries bring a passion and intensity to every aspect of their businesses. ...

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