While big name cloud application vendors like Salesforce and NetSuite have risen to prominence by primarily delivering solution to organizations working in the “knowledge economy”, there has been little attention given to cloud solutions for what I like to call the real world.

T. Rowe Price led a $50 million investment in Plex Systems Inc., a software company that enables manufacturers to run their operations from the cloud.

Manufacturing industries are arguably an excellent place for cloud to be deployed, but for some reason it has been easier to tell a story around cloud solutions for professional services, technology, media organizations and their ilk.

T. Rowe Price led a $50 million investment in Plex Systems Inc., a software company that enables manufacturers to run their operations from the cloud.

The annual PowerPlex customer event is now an established fixture on the analyst circuit with some of the best minds in manufacturing ERP in attendance along with 900 other attendees. The company made a raft of important announcements including the closing of a $50 million investment round by T. Rowe Price and Accel Partners, new innovations in mobile, a roadmap for solutions that take Plex up the food chain and new support packages.

Plex provides manufacturing-focused cloud ERP to companies across industries including, aerospace and defense, food and beverage and motor vehicles.

Read this Businessweek article featuring manufacturing leaders that use the Plex Manufacturing Cloud to transform their business.

Detailed recap of Plex’s Live Demo experience.

View this video interview with Dennis Hodges from Inteva Products discussing why the organization moved to Plex from SAP.

Vinnie Mirchandani provides a detailed recap of Plex’s corporate direction, specifically discussing the two-tier ERP strategy and customer success stories.