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.

Announcement
7th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing

Now Available!

Get your copy of the 7th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing and hear from 300+ manufacturers in this new survey report!

Modern Manufacturing

Plex Manufacturing Blog

3 Reasons Why Traceability is Key to Reducing Errors on Your Plant Floor

Plex Team September 15, 2020

High profile recalls have increased in recent years and manufacturers have paid steeply not just in money but also the impact on their reputation. Paper based records are prone to errors, difficult to manage, and may be impossible to find which means days of delays in responding to a recall. A clear way to reduce errors on your plant floor and to avoid a recall, is implementing a system that…

Read More

Global Manufacturers Reach 99% Pre-COVID Production with 90% of Workforce

Jerry Foster September 3, 2020

Global manufacturing is at 99% of pre-COVID levels of production as of August 30, while unique users logging in to the company’s system of record per week is now at 90% of pre-COVID levels. This data suggests that on average, manufacturers have been able to increase their productivity over time with a reduced workforce. Global data set...

Read More

How to Error-Proof Your Plant Floor

Plex Team August 28, 2020

There’s a better way to protect your company from costly errors that take place on the plant floor. COVID-19 has raised the stakes higher than ever – making visibility and control a must-have, not a nice-to-have. In our Ebook, “6 Ways Error-Proofing Protects Your Manufacturing Business,” we outline the leading ways smart manufacturers can leverage technology to drive the following outcomes....

Read More

Global Manufacturing Activity Increases for Fourth Consecutive Week

Jerry Foster August 20, 2020

Global manufacturing production is now at 95% of pre-pandemic levels of activity after demonstrating growth for the fourth consecutive week. While the overall increase is slower compared to last week, China and Mexico are continuing to see relatively higher rates of growth, with Mexico becoming the first country to exceed pre-pandemic rates of activity. We are also seeing evidence that European…

Read More

Global Production at 94% of Pre-COVID Activity Levels

Jerry Foster August 14, 2020

Global manufacturing activity continues to climb, reaching 94% of pre-pandemic rates of production as of August 9. Global data set ...

Read More

Global Manufacturing Production at 91% of Pre-Pandemic Rates

Jerry Foster August 6, 2020

In the last two weeks, global manufacturing production has continued to climb, reaching 91% of pre-pandemic rates of activity as of August 2. As reported last month, activity in 2020 (indicated by blue line, below) continues to resemble trends seen in 2019 (see orange line, below). However, not all regions are experiencing the same rate of growth. A variety of different influencers are impacting…

Read More

Manufacturing Production Activity Begins to Echo 2019 Trends

Jerry Foster July 22, 2020

While some regions around the world continue to see surges in coronavirus cases, including the U.S. and Mexico, the global manufacturing community has largely remained insulated from these spikes, with trends in activity now more closely resembling those seen in 2019. However, the levels of production within some individual countries are not as immune....

Read More

Global Manufacturing Not Slowed by COVID-19 Spikes, Outbreaks

Jerry Foster July 8, 2020

Despite COVID-19 spikes experienced in the U.S. and new outbreaks documented in China, production activity among manufacturers continues to climb, if at a slower paced than we tracked in June....

Read More

Global Manufacturing Production Activity Grows by 10%

Jerry Foster June 24, 2020

Our latest unique smart manufacturing data shows that global production activity continues to gain momentum, increasing by 10% since last week. As of June 21, the food and beverage sector has now exceeded pre-coronavirus levels of activity, and activity among automotive manufacturers is at 80% of pre-coronavirus production....

Read More

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for Manufacturers Drives Automation

Jerry Foster June 23, 2020

With efficiency as an ever-present strategy for modern manufacturers, automation can be a key component to achieving success. Automation reduces strain on resources required for data entry and review, allowing teams to focus on higher value activities, such as re-investments in the company, streamlining the supply chain, or continuous improvement.It’s not just individual manufacturers who sees…

Read More