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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7th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing

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State of Smart Manufacturing

Plex Manufacturing Blog

Digitization: Getting the Whole Story from Your Data

Plex Team April 23, 2024

Today, digitization across most industries is driving the next industrial revolution in manufacturing. As companies and OEMs seek to build digital capabilities within their production systems, smart manufacturing becomes standard for anyone looking to get ahead....

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Key Takeaways from the 9th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report

Plex Team April 11, 2024

What’s new. What’s now. And what’s happening next. The 2024 State of Smart Manufacturing Report offers a comprehensive look at where 1,500+ manufacturers see challenges and opportunities both today and in the future. From the expanding use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to the ongoing need for a skilled, adaptive workforce, here’s a rundown of the report’s biggest takeaways that…

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Improve Your Improvements by Digitizing Processes

Plex Team February 20, 2024

In traditional manufacturing, continuous improvement was a misnomer. It wasn't that practitioners were insincere or wrong. But manual processes, data acquisition, and analysis, created hard limits to what the most zealous continuous improvement methodologies could achieve....

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Looking Beyond Your Horizons in 2024

Plex Team December 19, 2023

Put yourself in the mindset of settlers from long ago exploring a new landscape. As they started each new day, their effort to understand what was beyond the horizon faced a manual and labor-intensive process. Several scouts would head off in different directions, hoping it was the right path to answers. They had to endure harsh conditions, uneven terrain, obstacles like rivers and mountains,…

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Digital Building Blocks for Sustainability: Part 2

Plex Team December 18, 2023

There is increasing interest in reducing carbon emissions as part of overall sustainability. This particularly applies to manufacturing where both awareness and regulations are encouraging producers to explore ways to mitigate or eliminate their emissions.Continuing our discussion of sustainability as a digital building block in manufacturing, let's look at how software can help monitor, track,…

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Digitization: Taking a Deep Dive into Improving Quality

Plex Team November 7, 2023

Spending time outdoors is more fun when you have access to a pool. Games, good food, and spending time with friends are all better when water is nearby. As people get more comfortable in the water, they start to swim and dive, taking their fun to another level.But some seem to get stuck in the shallow end of the pool. They may make a splash and cool down a bit, but while others are learning to…

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Automation Fair – From Chaos to Control Maximizing Efficiency With Plex DemandCaster Supply Chain Planning

Plex Team October 31, 2023

Continuing with our discussion of how Plex Systems products will play a role in Rockwell Automation's Automation Fair 2023 in Boston, MA, November 6-9th, 2023: Ara Surenian, Vice President of Product Management – Rockwell Automation, sat down to discuss how Plex DemandCaster Supply Chain Planning software can help maximize efficiency by bringing control to chaos....

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Why Technology Adoption in 2023 Means Adding Staff and Skills

Gerry Abbey September 5, 2023

One of the biggest headlines from the 8th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report isn’t just about technology — it’s about technology and people. As manufacturers aim for profitable growth without sacrificing quality, adopting the right technology is high on their collective to-do list. But for that new tech to truly be beneficial, our respondents tell us there must be an equal priority…

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95% of Manufacturers Are Prioritizing Sustainability in 2023

Gerry Abbey June 29, 2023

When it comes to sustainability in manufacturing, the future is now.According to the 2023 State of Smart Manufacturing Report, sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) have moved into the manufacturing mainstream. Over 95% of respondents stated they have a sustainability and/or ESG policy over the last two years, whether formal or informal....

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Gain a Competitive Edge in Quality with Better Data

Gerry Abbey June 12, 2023

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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