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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Food & Beverage

Plex Manufacturing Blog

Don't Get Too Close to the Flame

Plex DemandCaster January 17, 2023

Plex DemandCaster Demand and Supply Software lets planning professionals use data-driven insights to navigate successfully and stay away from the flames. ...

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Just Ship it Already!

Plex DemandCaster December 12, 2022

Discover how software by Plex DemandCaster helps automate forecasting, manage supply chains in real time, and reduce or eliminates waste and overages. ...

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North American Food Safety and Quality: Your NAFS22 Recap

Gerry Abbey October 6, 2022

NAFS22 came packed with insights, ideas, and a shared call to action to achieve food safety and quality like we’ve never seen before. After days of conversations and presentations, the key question that remains is: how do we achieve this, particularly on a national and international scale? Of the many topics discussed over the last several days, these are the ones that stood out most:...

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Preparing for the Future with the 2022 Industry Leader Impact Award Winner

Plex Team August 29, 2022

To be a leader, you must set the bar for your industry and redefine the way that companies succeed and grow in your field. By leading within your specific industry, you can exceed expectations and break out of the box....

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The Digital Thread and Regulatory Challenges for Food and Beverage Manufacturers

Plex Team August 16, 2022

Imagine an evening newscast about a tainted food or beverage product. Recalls, bad press, and public safety concerns are the immediate nightmares of a food and beverage producer. Once the crisis is fully underway, they may be responsible for the transportation, safe disposal, and rapid replacement of tainted goods, all of which are unplanned costs. This crisis is followed by inspections and…

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Overcoming Challenges in the Food and Beverage Industry

Anthony Murphy May 11, 2022

Due to the shift in consumer demand driven by increased pressure from large-scale competitors, direct-to-consumer trends, and an ongoing pandemic, food and beverage manufacturers like you face unprecedented change and increasing adversity. The challenges are many, including pressure for automation to control costs and address labor shortages, the need for visibility into production yield, and…

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Smart vs. Unsmart: Improving your Manufacturing Execution System Journey

Plex Team October 18, 2021

When you were a kid, the difference between good and bad was crystal clear. Putting gum in your hair? Bad. Looking both ways before crossing the street? Good. But now that you’re an adult – a professional – the difference between smart and unsmart decision-making is blurry. It’s hard to confidently know that one choice will lead to all the positive outcomes you’re hoping for. Until now....

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7 Food and Beverage Manufacturing Stats You’ve Never Seen (But Your Boss Will Care About)

Plex Team October 18, 2021

It’s been a wild ride for the food and beverage industry lately – supply roadblocks, workforce shortages, not to mention all the inefficiencies that existed before the pandemic. But what if you could be the person who alleviates these pain points for your company? It’s not just wishful thinking; it’s smart manufacturing that connects, automates, tracks, and analyzes your operations. This…

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Demand Planning in Food and Beverage: Keeping it Agile

Plex DemandCaster May 12, 2021

There has rarely been a time when the need for agility in demand planning for food and beverage was more evident than now. Learn more here. ...

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Leverage OEE with Smart Technology to Improve Production

Joseph Puglia April 14, 2021

Overall equipment effectiveness, or OEE, represents a real opportunity for food and beverage plants to make faster and smarter business decisions. In short, OEE measures how efficient your equipment is operating against theoretical capacity. Theoretical because, in a perfect world, most machines should run at nameplate speed. Then there’s reality....

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