The above video shows a snapshot of the Plex Systems manufacturing community represented over a typical 24-hour period. Each dot that emerges represents a transaction. Red dots represent production added, blue dots represent checksheets added, bright green dots represent containers moved, and olive dots represent shipments sent. 

Given the pace of change with coronavirus (COVID-19) – both the spread of the virus, and the responses from local and federal governments – we are sharing resources and information that may be helpful to you as you determine your own company’s business continuity response and strategy in real time.

First, we’ve compiled resources from leading associations and organizations specifically geared towards supporting manufacturers. These are available at the national, regional, and vertical industry-specific levels.

Second, you’ll see a compilation of industry analyst-provided resources and articles which look at the short- and long-term impacts to the manufacturing community, and what this could mean for the future of the industry from a business transformation and workforce perspective.

Finally, we invite you to access unique data sets Plex Systems is opening up to the public, accessible through our resource center here. Because our solutions are cloud-based, we have access to 20 years of anonymized, compiled operational data from the approximately 700 manufacturers we serve. This group collectively runs 1,200 active production facilities in 29 countries, representing the aerospace, automotive, fabricated metals, food and beverage, industrial machinery, and plastics and rubber industries.

Manufacturers play a key role when the world faces a global pandemic. We hope that the resources and articles linked below help arm you with the information you need to make your own difficult decisions, but also help you keep running while ensuring our collective priority: The health and safety of the communities we all live and work in.

Resources from Manufacturing Associations and Organizations

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): https://www.nam.org/coronavirus/
• List of state-specific resources that partner with NAM: https://www.nam.org/covid-19-state-resources/
• Precision Metalforming Association: https://www.pma.org/advocacy/coronavirus.asp
• Georgia Manufacturing Alliance: https://www.georgiamanufacturingalliance.com/news/mfg-news-network
• Michigan Manufacturing Association: https://mimfg.org/Advocacy-Issues/COVID-19-Resources
• The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association: https://www.ohiomfg.com/covid-19-resources/

Analyst Resources and Coverage

Note some of these resources are only limited to subscribers or may require registration.

• IDC: The Definitive Source of Tech Insight on COVID-19
• Gartner: Respond, Manage and Prepare for the Impact of Coronavirus
• LNS Research: Closing Factories is Hard, Re-Opening will be Harder
• Deal Architect: The positive impact of COVID-19
• Diginomica: Your business is about to be stress tested like never before - here's what you need to consider

Plex Manufacturing Data Updates:

Plex Systems releases unique data set, contextualizing the COVID-19 impact on manufacturing.