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Modern Manufacturing
Plex Manufacturing Blog
Precision Metalforming Association Provides COVID-19 Response Resources for Manufacturers
Manufacturers: Wondering how you can remain connected and ensure business continuity in a world where work environments are changing, supply chains are being disrupted, and uncertainty abounds? ...
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Manufacturers: Expect a Prolonged Recovery
A lot has changed around the world since we at Plex reported last week’s findings. The number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S., Italy, and Spain have each surpassed China. Italy is starting to see a modest decline in new cases....
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China Serves as Potential Model for Post-Coronavirus Manufacturing Resurgence
Over the weekend, China announced it would be reopening its tourist attractions. It’s an encouraging turnaround for the country, which has experienced more than 80,000 confirmed cases since the virus broke around Chinese New Year. As the first country to experience the devastation of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), China is also serving as a model for recovery....
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COVID-19 Resources for Manufacturers
Given the pace of change with coronavirus (COVID-19) – both the spread of the virus, and the responses from local and federal governments – we are sharing resources and information that may be helpful to you as you determine your own company’s business continuity response and strategy in real time....
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Unique Data Set Contextualizes COVID-19 Impact on Manufacturing
A mere week ago, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic. In the weeks leading up to and following this announcement, governments, organizations, and businesses (including us here at Plex Systems), have taken measures to not only reduce the spread and impact of the coronavirus for the health and safety of the communities we live and work in, but also…
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Food and Beverage Trends to Watch in 2020
For food and beverage manufacturers, 2020 promises to be another year of change. As we head into a new decade, here are three consumer-led food and beverage industry trends that have the capacity to change the food and beverage manufacturing landscape. ...
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What Shop Floor Data Should You Collect?
As Industry 4.0 becomes more of a reality, smart manufacturers are looking for those precious insights promised by the industry analysts. But manufacturers have been collecting so much data for so long, it’s hard to know what to use and how to convert it into usable information....
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Government Funding for Canadian Manufacturing Businesses: A Proactive Approach
Manufacturers in Canada are often the primary recipients for government funding, as manufacturing grants tend to be more widely available than for any other industry segment, making industrial companies well-aligned to access financial incentives....
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Why We’re Thankful for Manufacturing Technology This Thanksgiving
When you sit down this Thanksgiving to enjoy a feast with your loved ones, there will be many food options available to those who come together to break bread. Grandma’s pumpkin pie might be the best pie you’ve ever eaten. Uncle Carl’s green bean casserole is, well, edible. My specialty is pecan pie!...
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Shopping for a Manufacturing ERP? Consider Your Deployment Options
Make no mistake about it: ERP is a major investment for any manufacturer. The new solution you choose may be Command Central for your employees for the next eight to 10 years—or longer. Many manufacturers begin their ERP research by looking into industry-specific features and functionality. ...
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Will Jobs Be Lost to Automation?
Product and technology innovation has transformed life as we know it in the last few decades, and the pace of change is only getting faster over the next decade. Inventors and innovators continue to look for ways to make life easier, automate repetitive tasks, and remove the likelihood of human error by teaching machines to do what humans would otherwise do. ...
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Capacity Planning: A Critical Element of the Production Process
Imagine this: You’ve won the big contract. You’ve dotted every i, crossed every t, and the paperwork is freshly signed and initialed. Yet, despite your efforts to check capacity before negotiations began, by the time you’re able to start the job new orders have rolled in, and your timeline is now at risk....
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How to Optimize your Manufacturing Workforce
It is increasingly challenging to stand up a workforce of skilled operators, but by automating error-prone tasks and operationalizing your procedures, you can mitigate the risk to production and the business. Easy-to-use tools with built-in error-proofing make it easy for your workforce to do the right thing—because it’s the easy thing to do....
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How to Leverage Automation in Your Manufacturing Process
Management thinker Peter Drucker is often quoted as saying that “you can't manage what you can't measure.” In a manufacturing environment, this sage management advise can quickly feel impossible to achieve....
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3 Key Steps to Buying the Right ERP for Your Manufacturing Business
We’re not going to dance around it: buying a new ERP solution for your manufacturing business is a big deal. It’s a long, involved process. It requires buy-in from a diverse group of stakeholders. It involves a major investment (both in time and money). And you’ll have to live with the results for perhaps a decade or more....
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