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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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Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

Plex Manufacturing Blog

5 Key Takeaways from the 5th Annual State of Manufacturing Technology Report

Jerry Foster May 7, 2020

The state of manufacturing technology is one that is constantly evolving. What is true one month might not be true the next, and we have seen that volatility with the impact of COVID-19. So how do manufacturers to stay ahead of the curve to drive growth and stay ahead of competition?...

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Food and Beverage Trends to Watch in 2020

Mike Hart February 25, 2020

For food and beverage manufacturers, 2020 promises to be another year of change. As we head into a new decade, here are three consumer-led food and beverage industry trends that have the capacity to change the food and beverage manufacturing landscape. ...

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3 Reasons Why Real-Time Information Matters to Manufacturers

Stu Johnson October 15, 2019

In order to make timely decisions, you need access to timely data. Unfortunately, for many manufacturers, the shop floor is a black box that is disconnected from the enterprise systems they rely on, so they must depend on reports. Those reports may take hours to prepare by specialists after manually being entered into a system from the paper that originally collected the data. The result is that…

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Manufacturers: Unlock the Value of Industry Analysts

Susie Foran October 3, 2019

At a time when technology buyers are bombarded with software options from all angles, it can be difficult to determine which ones are legit and which ones you should avoid when you’re trying to select an ERP, MES, or Industrial IoT solution vendor....

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How to Optimize your Manufacturing Workforce

Stu Johnson October 1, 2019

It is increasingly challenging to stand up a workforce of skilled operators, but by automating error-prone tasks and operationalizing your procedures, you can mitigate the risk to production and the business. Easy-to-use tools with built-in error-proofing make it easy for your workforce to do the right thing—because it’s the easy thing to do....

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CES 2019: Emerging Technology for Use in Manufacturing

Barrie Vince January 22, 2019

CES is the annual consumer electronics show held every January in Las Vegas. It is “the world's gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies.” This year’s event, CES 2019, took place January 8-11, 2019....

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Wondering How to Select an MES Vendor? Consider the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for MES

Hemant Makhija November 15, 2018

At the end of the day, your main concern is delivering on customer demands as efficiently and as cost-effectively as possible. The systems that run your business are essential to making this possible. Your investment is not trivial, and those systems need to be reliable so there are little, if any, disruptions to production. ...

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Automotive Manufacturing Suppliers: Have You Made the Transition to IATF?

Stu Johnson October 16, 2017

I attended the Automotive Industry Action Group’s (AIAG) Annual Quality Summit in September and the topic of urgency was the required transition from the ISO/TS 16949 quality standard to the new IATF 16949:2016 specification championed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), www.iatfglobaloversight.org....

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Award-Winning Manufacturer, Accuride, Transforms Business with Plex

Stu Johnson May 31, 2017

Running a profitable manufacturing business is no easy task. When faced with a decision to either invest, sell, or close up shop, it gets even tougher. Recently, I had the privilege of visiting Accuride Corporation’s Rockford, IL plant named “Gunite” in honor of a specific alloy the founder created back in 1854....

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