
Get your copy of the 7th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing and hear from 300+ manufacturers in this new survey report!
When thinking of automotive production, most people imagine fast and efficient production lines with clean floors, automated robotics, and a production process that produces new, shiny vehicles. With those images, many may assume process automation is at its peak....
Read MoreWhen you look at the future of your company, what do you hope to achieve?For 1,353 global manufacturers in the 2023 State of Smart Manufacturing Report, the answer is clear: growth. And to achieve that growth, these manufacturers are prioritizing their quality strategy as they continue to digitize operations and fight to overcome disrupted supply chains, new regulations, and other challenges....
Read MoreOld black-and-white movies of invading outer space robots are an old staple of weekend cable television. Landing on an open field surrounded by stern-faced military staff, guns, tanks, and anxious political leaders, the ships always revealed robots with waving arms and impending doom for humanity.We've come a long way from fearsome robots resembling a cross between a giant propane tank and the…
Read More"Back to normal."After the countless disruptions that have defined the last several years, that’s not a phrase used by manufacturers when talking about where supply chains are headed.However, not getting back to normal offers new opportunities for success. Finding better ways to minimize upheaval and maximize relationships also means gaining stability, agility, and predictability when it comes to…
Read MoreGlobal manufacturing is increasing in complexity as new challenges arise, customer expectations change, and best practices evolve. This complexity makes it more challenging than ever to manage a production floor effectively. With traditional manual tracking, this process is inefficient and costly. Today, most companies turn to technology in the form of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to…
Read MoreDemand and supply planning was as much an art form as a science for many decades. The process was guided by human intuition, gut feeling, and experience and was aided by tools such as calculators and spreadsheets. These were all combined to produce forecasting that was an assumption at best and highly variable at worst. Software increased forecasting accuracy, reducing the height of the peaks and…
Read MoreIt’s no secret that the age of smart manufacturing is here and fully underway. Most industries are already leveraging the power of data-driven insights and the adoption of smart manufacturing platforms....
Read MoreThere’s no denying that more and more manufacturers are embracing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives with aims to improve both performance and accountability. Naturally, these efforts often center around sustainability. While we’re a long way from closed-loop manufacturing, sustainability efforts gain return value to companies in areas like waste, material usage, supply…
Read MoreManufacturers have a lot of pressure on their shoulders. Traditional software solutions sought to relieve that pressure by automating processes, reducing labor-intensive tasks, and optimizing performance efficiency for specific disciplines. That system of disparate software worked to improve efficiency - until one day it didn't. So, what changed? The most significant change was the technological…
Read More