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High Tech & Electronics
Plex Manufacturing Blog
See Better Results with Plex: 3 Successful ERP System Customer Stories
What does a job well done look like to you? If you’re on the shop floor, it probably looks like a record production rate or an increase in inventory accuracy. If you’re on the top floor, it might look like a boost in your company’s profits....
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Reflecting on a Year of Plex Team Pride and Community Contributions
The year is quickly coming to a close, which means that it’s time to reflect back on what we’ve accomplished as a team here at Plex. As a culture that prides itself on fostering the professional development, well-being, and happiness of our people, here are a few things we’re particularly proud of, and what helps make Plex such a unique and innovative company....
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Future of Manufacturing Roundtable: The future is bright, but comes with growing pains
Plex Systems recently brought together industry analysts and its customers for the second Future of Manufacturing Roundtable (FoMR). This collaborative day seats manufacturing technology leaders on Plex’s customer advisory board next to experts who write about enterprise software day-in and day-out, which always leads to a lively conversation about the future of the manufacturing industry....
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Designing an Adaptable User Experience for Manufacturing Today (and Tomorrow)
Technology is in transition. Technology is always in transition, but today that transition is noticeably changing how we operate. One of the biggest changes we are adapting to in manufacturing is the move from desktops and workstations to handheld devices....
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Wondering How to Select an MES Vendor? Consider the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for MES
At the end of the day, your main concern is delivering on customer demands as efficiently and as cost-effectively as possible. The systems that run your business are essential to making this possible. Your investment is not trivial, and those systems need to be reliable so there are little, if any, disruptions to production. ...
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A and K Finishing Moves from Manual, Paper-based Quality and Inventory Processes to up Its Game
For every large manufacturing company that is in the midst of a digital transformation, there are hundreds of small to mid-sized manufacturers still relying on manual, paper-based processes—and it’s taking a toll on their ability to manage quality and inventory....
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A Halloween Haunting: Scary Stories for Manufacturers
We love the manufacturing industry. And some of us also love celebrating Halloween. What if we combined these two things by re-imagining some of today’s most popular thrillers set in a manufacturing environment? It’s not that farfetched. Let’s explore some ideas....
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GenZe Manufactures a Smart Product with a Big Mission
The transportation industry is rapidly changing, and not just due to the explosive popularity of ridesharing solutions like Uber and Lyft. Just look at any major urban area, and you’ll see a fleet of bicycles joining rush hour traffic. Look a little deeper, and you’ll notice that the entire infrastructure is evolving, from upgraded parking spaces with chargers, to the proliferation of new lanes…
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Manufacturing Industry Enthusiasm Off the Charts at IMTS 2018 and Hanover Messe USA
Not only did the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) and collocated Hanover Messe USA break records by setting an all-time high for exhibitors and attendees, but these events also captured something more important: a sense of unbridled global optimism in the manufacturing industry....
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Breakthrough Technologies Impacting Manufacturing and the Way We Make Things
Technology has seen rapid advancements in the past decade—and it only seems to be happening faster as each year passes. When it comes to breakthrough technology, manufacturing certainly has seen its share, most recently due to trends like Industry 4.0 and transformative connectivity made possible by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)....
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4 Things You Need in a SaaS-based Manufacturing ERP and MES Solution
As more businesses move to SaaS (software-as-a-service) applications, some manufacturers still have some uncertainty about data safety and security, as well as uptime and reliability in the cloud. If moving your operations to the cloud seems foreign to you, or if you aren’t sure how to evaluate cloud versus on-premise ERP and MES systems, just remember these four things: availability,…
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Fastener Manufacturers Focus on On-Time Delivery to Stand Out
Metal products like screws and bolts are often seen as a commodity but if you can become a preferred supplier to large OEMs, the opportunity is ripe to take advantage of higher margins. Finding reliable suppliers is a lengthy and tedious process for large OEMs....
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3 Principles for XR in Manufacturing
It’s no secret that most manufacturers are focused on value-added activities, and often have little resources for technology research and development exploration—unless its dedicated to the development of new products. Decisions to invest in capital to run the business are not taken lightly....
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What Makes Plymouth Foam an Industry Leader? Innovation and Family
Back in 1978, foam products weren’t commonplace in Plymouth, Wisconsin. However, Tecwyn “Tec” Vance Roberts, a local engineer, realized that area industrial and commercial builders could benefit from a foam insulation product. Seeing this opportunity in the market, Tec set out to bring it to them....
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LiveWorx: Augmented Reality, IIoT, and the Future of Manufacturing
If you’re wondering whether augmented reality (AR) is on the horizon for manufacturing, you can stop. It’s here, and it will change the way manufacturers use technology to benefit their businesses. By bringing together the digital and physical, AR has the power to dramatically change many manufacturing business processes such as training and asset management. ...
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Manufacturers: Risk is an Opportunity, Not a Cost Driver
As a fastener manufacturer, delivering high quality ensures (among other things) that scrap rates are kept low and first pass yield remains high. But did you know that it could also influence which business you’ll win next?...
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How a New Manufacturing System Improves Employees’ Lives
When A&K Finishing, a provider of plastic paint solutions for the automotive, office furniture, electronics, and commercial industries, selected the Plex Manufacturing Cloud as its system of record in 2016, the team expected to see improvements in their scrap rates, inventory management and quality control....
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AWE: Another Indicator the Wearables Are Coming… for Manufacturers
Wearables aren’t just for gaming anymore. While that statement shouldn’t be a surprise, you might be surprised to learn—as I was—at the sheer number of AR, VR and XR devices now available on the market, and the industries they’re being applied to. From playing volleyball, to learning to ballroom dance, to owning and feeding a virtual pet, to being able to pilot and land a plane in an emergency…
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The Path Manufacturers Should Take Toward Industry 4.0
The benefits of Industry 4.0 are crystal-clear. So, why aren’t manufacturers making it their top priority to embrace everything this new approach entails? In other words, why has adoption been so slow? According to TechVentive, it’s because many companies still lack the basic technology infrastructure that must be in place before they can exploit Industry 4.0....
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How A and K Finishing Delivers On-Time, Defect-Free Products Every Time with the Plex Manufacturing Cloud
When A&K Finishing, a provider of plastic paint solutions for the automotive, office furniture, electronics, and commercial industries, opened its doors in 1990, they set out to be the “first to finish, with quality.” Nearly 30 years later, this philosophy remains true and they’re leveraging technology and lean manufacturing philosophies to deliver quality, just-in-time products to a list of…
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