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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4 Ways Manufacturers Benefit from End-to-End Supply Chain Planning

Hemant Makhija August 30, 2017

Leading manufacturers intuitively understand the importance of optimizing the flow of materials in their operations. They also are more mature in analyzing and interpreting the valuable data their businesses generate....

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Plex Spoken Here: Are These Words in Your Plextionary?

Patti Nowak August 23, 2017

Plex Spoken Here: Are These Words in Your Plextionary? Have you ever had someone tell you that when you talk about your work, it’s like you’re speaking a different language? Here at Control+M Solutions, we get that all the time. And we have to admit it’s true: one doesn’t just use Plex or implement Plex—one speaks Plex....

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Argent Sparks Growth and Employee Satisfaction with New Manufacturing Technology

Kaitlin Rebella August 21, 2017

They’re under the hood of your car, on the medicine you take, and on the groceries you buy. They help shop floor operators make things like phone chargers, and you use them to figure out which flowers you should plant in your backyard. What are they?...

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How Small Manufacturing Companies Can Lead the Industry

Hemant Makhija August 15, 2017

Most manufacturing firms in the U.S. are small—99 percent have less than 500 employees, 75 percent of which have less than 20 employees.1 And since small manufacturing companies are at the heart of creating the products the world uses, they are in the unique position to make changes at the grass root level that can lead the industry....

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Digital Transformation in the Manufacturing Industry: Why Should You Care?

Plex Team August 8, 2017

The complexity and pace of customer demands have changed, which means you’ve likely had to evaluate if your manufacturing operations are keeping pace. Relying on manual processes and paper-based information is no longer sustainable if you want to compete. There are more and more companies willing to step in and take your market share....

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Manufacturers: What You Need to Know About Cloudwashing

Dave Morfas July 21, 2017

If your company is looking for a new ERP system, you will likely discover the term “cloudwashing.” Our hope is that you discover it before you make a decision because you could be dealing with the limitations for a long time after. What is cloudwashing?...

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How to Operationalize Quality Control on the Shop Floor

Stu Johnson July 14, 2017

Ensuring that quality controls are in place is a never-ending task for operations and quality managers. And it’s especially hard to do if you’re using manual, paper-based documentation. The key is to tie operational performance with a production control plan and work instructions that everyone has access to, and because plans are revised and instructions may change, it's ideal to have online…

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Industry 4.0: How Advancements in Manufacturing Technology Are Transforming the Industry

Peter Pearce July 7, 2017

In the United States, economic growth has been a bit sluggish in the past decade. When you look at global economic growth, there's one common factor with all that causes the economy to grow. It’s manufacturing. Due to a number of contributing economic, political, and market factors across the globe, there’s a significant revolution that’s underway within the manufacturing industry. ...

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Wisco Employee Enjoys Fourth of July Thanks to Inventory Planning in the Cloud

Kaitlin Rebella June 30, 2017

Imagine one of the biggest U.S. holidays of the summer. Your family, friends, and coworkers have lots of activities planned including picnics, BBQs, games, swimming, and of course, fireworks. Everything is decked out in red, white, and blue ready to celebrate. Even the warm weather signals that the weekend will be something to remember....

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What’s It Like at an Award-Winning Manufacturing Plant?

Dave Morfas June 27, 2017

We are proud of our customers. They are leading the manufacturing industry into the future and we’re not the only ones noticing how awesome they are. Many have won Excellence awards for doing what they do best: make amazing things. In 2016 alone, these customers were acknowledged for their manufacturing excellence:...

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