Chief Technology Officer, Plex Systems
About the Author
Jerry Foster is CTO and leads our technology strategy, along with research and design initiatives focused on next-generation cloud solutions for the manufacturing enterprise. A founding member of the Plex team, Jerry has been instrumental in the entire evolution of Plex, overseeing the technical transitions in each phase of our growth. Jerry earned his degree in Computer Science at Liberty University.
May Manufacturing Data Shows Signs of Rebound
Global data set As we near the end of May, Plex’s unique COVID-19 related data suggests weeks of cautious optimism is warranted, as evidence of a rebound gains steam. Since the end of April, we’ve seen a four-week long streak of positive production activity. U.S. data set...
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Global Manufacturing Activity Continues Upward Trend, with Aerospace and Defense Seeing 57% Growth
As reported in last week’s blog post, global manufacturing production activity is continuing on an upward trend, with an 8% increase week over week in production transactions. ...
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COVID-19 Update: Top Four Things to Know about Manufacturing Production This Week
This week’s unique manufacturing data shows an upward trend in activity, with many regions and industries around the world showing signs of increased production. It is a hopeful sign as COVID-19-related restrictions continue to lift globally and manufacturers restart operations safely....
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5 Key Takeaways from the 5th Annual State of Manufacturing Technology Report
The state of manufacturing technology is one that is constantly evolving. What is true one month might not be true the next, and we have seen that volatility with the impact of COVID-19. So how do manufacturers to stay ahead of the curve to drive growth and stay ahead of competition?...
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Manufacturing Production Holds Steady While Automakers Plan to Reopen
Declining manufacturing production turned a corner last week – starting to flatten in most regions around the globe – and seems to be holding steady according to our most recent data. Global data set ...
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Declining Manufacturing Production Turns the Corner
This week’s global data marks a turning point: the decline of manufacturing production is starting to flatten, and in some regions and industries, even shows an upturn in activity. For instance, let's first look at two of our bigger data sets – manufacturing in the United States and China, both of which are showing signs of improvement (see graphs below). U.S. data set ...
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Global Manufacturing Community Activity Diverges from China Recovery Model
Global manufacturing activity continues to drop – now producing at approximately 20% of where rates were four weeks ago, when we saw the start of a steep decline in activity....
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While New COVID-19 Cases in Asia and Europe Flatten, Manufacturing Recovery Lags
According to the latest Plex data on global smart manufacturing production, overall manufacturing activity (see graph, below) is still dropping, while reports that the rate of new COVID-19 cases in some Asian and European countries we’ve been tracking are flattening and slowing, respectively. ...
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Manufacturers: Expect a Prolonged Recovery
A lot has changed around the world since we at Plex reported last week’s findings. The number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S., Italy, and Spain have each surpassed China. Italy is starting to see a modest decline in new cases....
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