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

Are You Meeting Ford’s FMEA Quality Software Requirements?

Plex Team June 13, 2022

Change can be scary, especially when you’re faced with limited time to make a critical decision. You’re under pressure and may not have time to do the due diligence you normally would in situations like this. But it’s also not a time to cut corners....

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Automotive Manufacturing Is More Resilient Than Ever

Anthony Murphy June 8, 2022

When production halted in 2020, automotive suppliers and OEMs showcased their business agility by banding together and pivoting to develop much-needed supplies for frontline workers. Ford Motor Company produced clear plastic shields, Creative Foam Corp manufactured foam parts for ventilators, and Desin, a manufacturer of Human Machine Interface (HMI) sensors, added a production line to make face…

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How Do 300+ Manufacturers Feel About Supply Chain Planning?

Ara Surenian May 25, 2022

The last few years have not been kind to supply chain planning professionals. Tariffs, geopolitical tensions, a pandemic, numerous sea freight issues, and the war in Ukraine are some of the many issues that have affected global supply chains....

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Digital Connectivity: The “Key” to Empowering Manufacturing Teams

Plex Team May 24, 2022

Have you ever been to the Florida Keys? The area is home to some of the world’s best beaches, snorkeling, and fishing, but getting there hasn’t always been easy. To move from island to island, visitors and locals had to island-hop by boat or ferry....

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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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Charging Ahead: Enabling Electric Vehicle Manufacturing with Smart Technology

Plex Team May 10, 2022

Many advances in technology and changing consumer tastes have disrupted the automobile industry. From innovations like front-wheel drive and the SUV to the beginning of smart technology for navigation, diagnostics, and entertainment, production lines were forced to adjust many times in history....

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What Does the Future of Smart Manufacturing Look Like?

Jerry Foster May 4, 2022

The 2022 State of Smart Manufacturing report identified a number of key industry trends. If they continue at their current pace, what do these trends mean for the future? Let’s take a look at this hypothetical but not-so-futuristic story through the lens of Plex CTO Jerry Foster:...

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Mobile Smart Manufacturing Platforms: The Parkour of the Plant Floor

Plex Team April 26, 2022

There was a time when making changes in manufacturing was like trying to move a sleeping elephant using only a skateboard. Lack of communication, time-lagged and siloed data, and manual record-keeping made the task slow and lumbering....

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Your 5 Steps to Smart Manufacturing Adoption

Gerry Abbey April 25, 2022

Smart manufacturing enables manufacturers like you to adapt to a changing market and unlock long-term opportunities by connecting and automating their business. But where do you start? With increasingly modular smart manufacturing technology options available, investment and implementation can be simple, seamless, and cost-effective. These incremental investments unlock value quickly and can be…

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Why Manufacturers Should Consider Cloud-Based MES Solutions

Plex Team April 20, 2022

Everything you do is focused on the shop floor. A manufacturing execution system (MES) provides the foundation for operations to schedule, manage, and track each step during production....

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