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!

Best Maid – An Automation Fair Sneak Peek

Plex Team September 7, 2023

Sometimes, opportunity awaits those who reach for it. Other times, it can be part of a dynamic shift to a new way of doing business and a new way of thinking. When Best Maid needed to refine and sharpen its performance and inventory accountability to take in the growth it was experiencing, Plex was the answer....

Read More

Where Did My Plant Performance Go?

Plex DemandCaster June 28, 2023

An ERP system must be fed with insights from several data sources or software systems, and that data must be accurate. Plant performance suffers if the data tracking and analysis are manual or the software is inaccurate. Even if companies use software, it’s critical to use the right combination of software to improve performance....

Read More

Where Did My Machine Data Go?

Plex DemandCaster May 31, 2023

Labor and capital equipment are usually the two most expensive manufacturing operating costs. And in terms of expenditures, capital equipment can often run into the millions. Machinery is considered a long-term investment that will remain in service for years or even decades.With so much on the line, it would make sense that every manufacturer would drill down as deeply as possible to ensure…

Read More

Where Did My Production Data Go?

Plex DemandCaster May 17, 2023

Traditionally, manufacturing companies relied heavily on manual record-keeping for production processes. Operators on the production floor recorded data like units produced, machine downtime, scrap rates, and others manually.But manual record-keeping has several problems that can immediately and negatively impact the bottom line....

Read More

Where Did My Profit Go?

Plex DemandCaster April 19, 2023

While the last few years have seen significant events like COVID-19 and other disruptions impact profit for companies in every industry, staying profitable and maximizing profit is a never-ending pursuit.Companies often audit, implement improvement initiatives, and pressure suppliers to lower the cost of raw materials to increase their bottom line. But hidden in the weeds is a cumulative set of…

Read More

The Machines Are Not out to Get You: Making AI Work for Your Manufacturing Operation

Jerry Foster October 31, 2022

You can hardly turn on a news or media channel these days without a reference to artificial intelligence (AI) and how it affects everyone. AI, alongside other core technologies from Industry 4.0, are already transforming many industries. For manufacturing, AI is poised to be no less impactful. AI as the driver of manufacturing operations is advancing rapidly, but despite its potential, there are…

Read More

A Guide to Process Automation

Plex Team August 30, 2022

“Automation” means different things to different manufacturers, depending on the equipment, systems, and processes in place. But many companies only automate some of their processes, leaving others disconnected or with manual processes still in place....

Read More

How Is Automation Changing the Manufacturing Sector?

Mike Hart August 9, 2022

Automation in manufacturing is constantly evolving. Manufacturers all over the world are using automation to improve the efficiency of processes, reduce the complexity of managing modern supply chains, and combat the skilled worker shortage. In conjunction with adding levels of automation to streamline the business, manufacturers are turning to once-hyped technologies to accelerate process…

Read More

The Impact of Technology in Supply Chain Management

Plex DemandCaster November 16, 2021

New and emerging technology doesn't have to operate alone. It can be combined with powerful supply chain management software to deliver actionable insights. ...

Read More

6 Tips to Improve Inventory Management through Automation

Plex DemandCaster June 23, 2020

For companies with outdated or manual systems, these six tips will help managers and decision-makers improve inventory management through automation. ...

Read More