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!

Will It Go Round in Circles?

Plex DemandCaster March 5, 2024

Many have heard the 1972 song by Billy Preston called Will It Go Round in Circles?It was a catchy tune, but if you listen to the words, you realize the singer had no idea if his suggestions would work or “go round in circles.”Others have wondered the same thing about a more recent trend called the circular economy. Since its conception, most have considered the concept aspirational rather than…

Read More

From Reactive to Proactive: Big Data Analytics & Supply Chain Management

Plex DemandCaster February 27, 2024

Traditional supplier management consisted of spreadsheets, planner experience, and a lot of guesswork.Decisions were made based on dated, error-prone information and human analysis using spreadsheets or old standalone software.This reality forced companies into a reactive position. Because data was compiled and analyzed after events had occurred, there was little planning professionals could do…

Read More

Digital Building Blocks for Quality

Plex Team January 4, 2024

Automotive manufacturers operate in a hyper-competitive industry, producing complex pieces of equipment that have, on average, over 30,000 parts. Manufacturing them comes with substantial uncertainty due to quickly shifting consumer tastes—and the unwavering expectation for high quality....

Read More

Digital Building Blocks for Sustainability: Part 2

Plex DemandCaster December 18, 2023

There is increasing interest in reducing carbon emissions as part of overall sustainability. This particularly applies to manufacturing where both awareness and regulations are encouraging producers to explore ways to mitigate or eliminate their emissions.Continuing our discussion of sustainability as a digital building block in manufacturing, let's look at how software can help monitor, track,…

Read More

Automation Fair 2023 – Driving Digital Quality with Plex QMS

Plex DemandCaster October 4, 2023

Taking place on November 6-9 in Boston, MA, Automation Fair 2023, presented by Rockwell Automation, will showcase today's cutting-edge industrial automation technology.Automation Fair 2023 is the premier event for industrial automation and a must-see for those undergoing digital transformation. This year, Plex, by Rockwell Automation, will present several speakers to discuss their advancements in…

Read More

Where Did My Product Demand Go?

Plex Team March 9, 2023

We've all been there.One day, demand is high, forecasts are rosy, and life is good. The next, demand has plummeted, and you're sitting there with a mountain of inventory and booked capacity with no demand to support it.Wild swings in demand have always been a headache. But with supply chain volatility and complexity increasing, it's becoming harder and harder to prevent these swings....

Read More

Feetures and Benefits: Lessons in Change, Growth, and Giving Back

Plex Team September 27, 2021

It happens a lot: strangers walk up to Hugh Gaither and take off their shoes. Awkward, right? Not for Hugh. He’s the founder and CEO of Feetures, America’s top running sock brand. And if enthusiastic customers want to show off their Feetures socks, he’s all for it....

Read More