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.

Announcement
7th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing

Now Available!

Get your copy of the 7th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing and hear from 300+ manufacturers in this new survey report!

Plex Team

About the Author

Plex, by Rockwell Automation, is the leader in cloud-delivered smart manufacturing solutions, empowering the world’s manufacturers to make awesome products. Our platform gives manufacturers the ability to connect, automate, track and analyze every aspect of their business to drive transformation. The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform includes solutions for manufacturing execution (MES), ERP, quality, supply chain planning and management, Industrial IoT and analytics to connect people, systems, machines, and supply chains, enabling them to lead with precision, efficiency and agility.

2024 Plex Partner of the Year: Cumulus Consulting, LLC

Plex Team December 23, 2025

.responsive-iframe { position: relative; width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 aspect ratio */ height: 0; overflow: hidden; } .responsive-iframe iframe { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0; }    ...

Read More

The 2024 Transformer Impact Award: Chelsea Milling Company Finds the Perfect Mix for Success With Plex

Plex Team March 5, 2025

.video-container { width:100%; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 aspect ratio */ height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; background: #000; margin-bottom: 40px; } .video-container iframe { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } ...

Read More

The 2024 Industry Leader Impact Award: Plex & Flex Working Together for Success in the Automotive Industry

Plex Team February 24, 2025

.video-container { width:100%; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 aspect ratio */ height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; background: #000; margin-bottom: 40px; } .video-container iframe { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } ...

Read More

The 2024 Innovator Impact Awards: Pacur Improves On-Time, In-Full (OTIF) and Increases Production Capacity with Plex ERP

Plex Team January 13, 2025

Your browser does not support the video tag. Should you find yourself visiting a hospital, you’ll most likely be in the company of plastic material supplied by Pacur....

Read More

Looking Back on Automation Fair 2024 With 5 Exciting Highlights

Plex Team December 19, 2024

Automation Fair 2024 brought together the Plex and greater Rockwell Automation community in sunny Anaheim, California. This year’s theme — “Make it Matter” — set the tone for the inspirational week together as both current and prospective customers, partners, and team members arrived at the industrial automation event of the year to learn how to innovate in the year ahead.If you couldn’t join us…

Read More

How to Win a Food Fight with the Competition: Digitizing Connections Between the Top Floor and the Plant Floor

Plex Team November 20, 2024

When it comes to the competitive food and beverage landscape, the strongest hand always wins. Your team should do everything it can to stack the deck in its favor and go for the royal flush. This means not just collecting the highest value cards, but having them all in the same suit as well.You need to know that your operations are aligned at every level from the top floor to the plant floor –…

Read More

Every worker. Every step. Transform your operational efficiency with Guided Work Instructions.

Plex Team August 19, 2024

Maximized production capacity and high quality, made possible by knowledgeable and engaged workers. Sounds great, doesn’t it?...

Read More

How an Advanced ERP Improves Standard Production Costing and Profitability

Plex Team August 13, 2024

With turbulent supply chains and an ever-shifting industry landscape, there’s no way to know your precise manufacturing costs in advance. However, you can rely on standard costing to provide reasonable estimates – if you have the right tools to tackle the task. Advanced enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems can provide cost visibility, resource planning, and real-time analytics to make…

Read More

You Can't Climb the Whole Mountain at Once

Plex Team July 30, 2024

Adopting new technologies within your manufacturing operations is a lot like climbing a mountain. You can only go so far so fast – and pushing too hard without the right support can leave your systems overwhelmed. Instead, you need to plan your approach carefully and adjust as you go. Luckily, choosing the right tools at the right time will let you adapt just fine.In smart manufacturing, modern…

Read More

The Edge of Tomorrow: Edge Computing Reshaping Manufacturing

Plex Team July 29, 2024

In the vast expanse of a modern factory floor, the rhythms of production echo beneath the vigilant gaze of towering machinery. Workers and robots perform in a well-choreographed ballet of precision and speed. This industrial symphony is orchestrated by a frequently overlooked catalyst of contemporary innovation – edge computing....

Read More