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Modern Manufacturing
Plex Manufacturing Blog
Gain a Competitive Edge in Quality with Better Data
When you look at the future of your company, what do you hope to achieve?For 1,353 global manufacturers in the 2023 State of Smart Manufacturing Report, the answer is clear: growth. And to achieve that growth, these manufacturers are prioritizing their quality strategy as they continue to digitize operations and fight to overcome disrupted supply chains, new regulations, and other challenges....
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Make Compliance a Value-Added Feature of Your Operations
An old saying says, “you can’t fight city hall.” And while this is a bit of a cynical take on working alongside government bodies and other regulatory authorities, it reflects the frustrations of those in manufacturing who must keep up with seemingly endless new compliance requirements.Regulatory compliance is essential to most industries. Product liability, safety concerns, public health, fair…
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Where Did My Machine Data Go?
Labor and capital equipment are usually the two most expensive manufacturing operating costs. And in terms of expenditures, capital equipment can often run into the millions. Machinery is considered a long-term investment that will remain in service for years or even decades.With so much on the line, it would make sense that every manufacturer would drill down as deeply as possible to ensure…
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Where Did My Production Data Go?
Traditionally, manufacturing companies relied heavily on manual record-keeping for production processes. Operators on the production floor recorded data like units produced, machine downtime, scrap rates, and others manually.But manual record-keeping has several problems that can immediately and negatively impact the bottom line....
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Improving Operator Efficiency with Asset Performance Management KPIs
Operators and front-line supervisors are critical in keeping equipment running smoothly in any industrial setting. They spend hours controlling machinery, monitoring its performance, making adjustments, and intervening when necessary.Often, operators are intuitively aware of issues with their machines. They quickly learn each machine's quirks and their normal and abnormal performance. While this…
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Beating the Devil in the Details
Imagine driving down a dark road at night. You're cruising along, listening to the radio, and suddenly, your engine dies. You look down and see the “Check Engine” light as you ease to a stop on the side of the road.If your car is older, the technology on board may tell you nothing other than that your engine has a problem. If you're lucky, and your car's onboard technology is a bit more advanced…
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Clearing Your Manufacturing Hurdles with the Right Software
On your mark.Get set.Go!As the starting gun cracks, athletes streak down the track to clear hurdles in a race to the finish line. Some will clear them all, others will knock over one or two, and one athlete might seem incapable of getting the rhythm, height, and pace correct and crashes into them all....
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Key Takeaways from the Smart Manufacturing Software Buyer's Guide
With advanced technology driving industrial digitization across the globe, companies are reaching new heights in efficiency, process optimization, and other revolutionary achievements unheard of even a few years ago.To stay competitive, it's essential to identify superior solutions that align your company with all these technologies. But choosing the best software solution to accomplish this isn’…
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Dial in Quality with Smart Manufacturing
Traditional manufacturing has always sought to build quality into the process. Initially, these systems focused on quality control which required manual data collection and analysis and lots of inspection done by people. As systems improved, companies sought to move beyond quality control and toward quality assurance to prevent defects....
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Walking a Tightrope: How Automotive Manufacturers Find Balance in Digital Transformation
Watching aerial artists walk a tightrope is both thrilling and nerve-wracking. Whether over a raging waterfall, between skyscrapers, or across cliffs, we marvel at the skill and balance of the person on the rope....
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