Plex Systems: Wearable Tech on the Manufacturing Shop Floor

Plex Systems, leader in cloud ERP for manufacturing, demonstrates new wearable technology for the plant floor.

NASHVILLE, TN, June 30, 2015 – Plex, the leader in cloud ERP for manufacturing, today demonstrated new applications for wearable computing and sensors on the shop floor, including Google Glass, Apple Watch and Estimote Beacons. Built to connect everything from machines and sensors to PCs and personal mobile devices, the Plex Manufacturing Cloud provides an open, agile platform for manufacturers to innovate continuously on the shop floor with new manufacturing execution systems, machines and devices.

Unparalleled Connectivity for Manufacturing

Plex is a long-standing leader in cloud manufacturing integration, with more than 50 percent of Plex transactions originating from machines, manufacturing execution systems and devices. A recent Plex study of leading manufacturers found that more than 55 percent used IP-enabled tools and machines, and 80 percent leverage a broad range of consumer mobile products, such as tablets and webcams, in their shop environments. Plex is continuously extending connectivity to new devices.

Wearable Tech and The Plex Manufacturing Cloud

• At PowerPlex today, Plex demonstrated new capabilities for the Apple Watch. The new Plex watch application connects to the Plex Manufacturing Cloud to provide production status updates as well as virtually any other data or alerts available in the Plex Manufacturing Cloud. The new watch capabilities can also support virtually any Android-based wearable devices.
• Plex also demonstrated a range of connected and wearable devices to support users on the manufacturing shop floor: the new GoGlove, which enables touch-free control of other wearable devices; Bluetooth-enabled measurement calipers for connected quality operations management; and the Estimote beacon, which provides location awareness in complex interior environments.

Real Manufacturing Innovation Starts with Plex

• Fisher & Company worked closely with Plex to deploy Google Glass in conjunction with Estimote Beacons on the company's shop floor. The beacons provide accurate location awareness for Google Glass and other mobile devices, enabling automatic, location-based information display and functionality. Shop-floor supervisors use Google Glass to get immediate, hands-free updates on production activity. Fisher's deployment also includes wearable ring scanners to support materials handlers. Fisher is currently expanding its use of wearables and their deployment was recently featured in IndustryWeek.

Comments on the News

"Fisher & Company is always looking for new tools and innovations to make our production operations more efficient and better for employees," said Scott Tollafield, director of IT at Fisher & Company. "With its open platform, Plex makes it easy to take advantage of new tools like Google Glass or a ring scanner. That agility frequently turns into better processes and, ultimately, competitive advantage for us."

"The Plex Manufacturing Cloud has always been about real-world problem solving, providing an open and agile platform for customer-driven innovation," said Jerry Foster, CTO of Plex Systems. "We are constantly testing new gadgets and technologies to understand their potential utility in manufacturing, but the most exciting thing for our team is to take those capabilities and apply them in a real production environment. We're excited to work with Fisher & Company to expand their wearables program and support their approach to continuous innovation."