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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....
Read MoreCompanies use a variety of tools to assess the current state of their business and predict where it is headed. By “reading the tea leaves”, planners attempt to ensure correct stock levels, optimize inventory levels and inventory value, and provide a framework for staffing and operations.But the complexity of modern-day supply chains requires that forecasting and planning be more than just reading…
Read MoreIn 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....
Read MoreThere's an old business phrase that says that the customer is always right. While many companies have tied themselves into knots trying to service ever-changing consumer tastes, there is one area they often neglect to address in their efforts.What if the message customers send points to your system more than your product? And what if the things they ask for require you to abandon a manual system…
Read MoreFrom the most straightforward shed to the highest skyscraper, every structure is built with a complex assortment of components. These “building blocks” give the structure support and strength and allow it to be used as designed.As manufacturing industries rapidly adopt Industry 4.0 technologies to create smart and fully digital manufacturing systems, companies are realizing that digital building…
Read MoreAutomotive manufacturers operate in a hyper-competitive industry, producing complex pieces of equipment that have, on average, over 30,000 parts. Manufacturing them comes with substantial uncertainty due to quickly shifting consumer tastes—and the unwavering expectation for high quality....
Read MoreInflation - it’s the dreaded “I” word. After decades of historically low rates, it came back with a vengeance and continues to disrupt operations everywhere.There are virtually no sectors of the economy nor any industry untouched as prices have risen across every category. Most of these categories, like energy, transportation, raw materials, labor, and others, impact manufacturing directly,…
Read MoreImproving production processes is a priority for every manufacturer. For decades, companies have devoted enormous resources in the form of teams, training, and methods to focus on processes and make them more efficient and profitable.However, continuous improvement and process improvement are not the same thing. And despite the difference, it is how data is collected and utilized that impacts the…
Read MoreContinuing 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....
Read MoreThere was a time in manufacturing before personal computers (PCs). Data was manually tracked, and decisions were made based on experience, gut feelings, and guesswork. But the lowly PC changed all that. Suddenly, companies could store more data and utilize spreadsheets to analyze operational aspects.As much as that was a big leap in operational improvement, it still relied on an overabundance of…
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