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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Plex Team

About the Author

Plex Systems, Inc., a Rockwell Automation company, 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.

Industry 4.0: Go Big or Go Small - Just Go

Plex Team November 15, 2022

Traditionally, large manufacturing companies benefited from scale. They could put money, resources, and in-house expertise into implementing massive enterprise-level software like an ERP or MRP. Smaller companies with limited resources, capital, and expertise under their roof had trouble acquiring the benefits of such software. This disadvantage meant they had to utilize manual data collection,…

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Manufacturing Execution Systems: How MES KPIs Inform and Predict

Plex Team November 9, 2022

Global manufacturing is increasing in complexity as new challenges arise, customer expectations change, and best practices evolve. This complexity makes it more challenging than ever to manage a production floor effectively. With traditional manual tracking, this process is inefficient and costly. Today, most companies turn to technology in the form of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to…

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When You Don’t Know What’s Broken: Fighting Frightening Manufacturing Monsters

Plex Team October 18, 2022

Bumps, clanks, hisses, and creaks. What’s that noise? In a manufacturing operation, just like a Halloween movie, these sounds are always scary. But sometimes, we don’t hear the sounds until they’ve jumped out at us, eliciting a haunted-house scream and a bit of embarrassment that we didn’t see it coming....

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What IIoT Can Do for Manufacturers

Plex Team October 11, 2022

It’s no secret that the age of smart manufacturing is here and fully underway. Most industries are already leveraging the power of data-driven insights and the adoption of smart manufacturing platforms....

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The People Behind the Platform: Carly Pascaretta, Associate Customer Success Manager

Plex Team October 3, 2022

You might love the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform, but do you know those who make it possible? Talented people have been working hard behind the scenes for decades. They’re what make this company great, but few get the chance to step into the spotlight they deserve – until now. This month, say hello to Associate Customer Success Manager Carly Pascaretta. Tell us about your role at Plex....

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Your Answer for Managing Major Manufacturing Disruption

Plex Team September 27, 2022

In past decades, business continuity was mainly considered to respond to the dangers of natural disasters like fires, floods, or hurricanes. The dawn of the internet brought a new focus to continuity; it broadened its definition as companies raced to protect data from cyberattacks and breaches that could shut them down and leave them without critical information....

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Streamlining Production with the 2022 Business Operations Transformer Impact Award Winner

Plex Team September 19, 2022

We live in an ever-changing world and sometimes business must change with it. Faced with a changing business after a recent spin-off from a larger company and a global pandemic, this company responded by implementing Plex and completely transformed their business....

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How Risk and Complexity Are Linked in Manufacturing

Plex Team September 13, 2022

Not all manufacturing is the same. Some finished goods take only a few steps and a little sub-processing before they’re ready for shipment. Others may require precision cuts and tight tolerances that bring them within requirements for more precise monitoring and equipment. And yet others are deeply derivative with multiple sub-processes, subtractive or additive processes, and complex assembly....

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A Guide to Process Automation

Plex Team August 30, 2022

“Automation” means different things to different manufacturers, depending on the equipment, systems, and processes in place. But many companies only automate some of their processes, leaving others disconnected or with manual processes still in place....

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Preparing for the Future with the 2022 Industry Leader Impact Award Winner

Plex Team August 29, 2022

To be a leader, you must set the bar for your industry and redefine the way that companies succeed and grow in your field. By leading within your specific industry, you can exceed expectations and break out of the box....

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