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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.

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Modern Manufacturing

̽̽ Manufacturing Blog

The Power of Mobile ERP: 3 Benefits for Manufacturers

̽̽ Team August 24, 2016

Mobile ERP is about more than just using phones and tablets to access data. It’s a two-way experience in which machine-to-machine communication is as relevant as human communication. Mobile ERP enabled by the cloud provides these three benefits:...

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The Manufacturing Digital Transformation: Connecting the Shop Floor

Andrew Hughes July 25, 2016

The constant hum of excitement about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is becoming louder and more intelligible every day. It is now clear that we are well passed the initial hype (even if that is not the case in most consumer-facing IoT) and opportunities for forward thinking manufacturers are real. The initial benefits are in two areas: analytics and connectivity. But analytics and all…

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How Manufacturers Survive and Thrive in Turbulent Times

̽̽ Team June 13, 2016

Uncertain economic times have one of two effects on the manufacturing psyche. Many companies hunker down and ‘weather the storm’ by limiting technology investment until the chaos subsides, trying to time their investment to high-growth periods. Very difficult to do....

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How Manufacturers Survive and Thrive in Turbulent Times

̽̽ Team June 13, 2016

Uncertain economic times have one of two effects on the manufacturing psyche. Many companies hunker down and ‘weather the storm’ by limiting technology investment until the chaos subsides, trying to time their investment to high-growth periods. Very difficult to do....

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The Connected Plant Floor – Automated and Efficient

Jane Clabby June 6, 2016

One of the things I liked best about the recent Power̽̽ 2016 conference was hearing first-hand feedback from customers. Many stories centered on the increased productivity and efficiency that a connected plant floor offers and how the ̽̽ Manufacturing Cloud enables that connectivity....

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IIoT and Smart Connected Manufacturing - Only in the Cloud

̽̽ Team March 23, 2016

Manufacturing is evolving right before our eyes with companies looking for ways to make faster, more accurate decisions. The need for better automation and data communication, combined with the availability of smart technology to support it, has piqued the interest of companies looking to take that next step in modernizing production capabilities. ...

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Manufacturing in Uncertain Times: Flexibility is King

Andrew Hughes March 21, 2016

Over the last few years, there’s been an exciting upturn in the interest that large US and European corporations have had in the manufacturing industry. There have even been signs of “on shoring” manufacturing capabilities. There are lots of economic reasons why a change in heart has happened, not least the desire to better serve customers through faster deliveries, more customization and better…

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Legacy ERP Leaves User Communities Alone in the Wilderness

Jim Shepherd March 9, 2016

Customer communities can provide a great way to extend ERP value. Vibrant communities provide a venue where users collaborate on everything from desired roadmap functions to best practices, processes, templates and tricks of the trade....

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Legacy ERP Vendors Make You an Offer You Can Refuse

Jim Shepherd February 22, 2016

One of the worst situations manufacturing IT groups routinely deal with is having to upgrade ERP software. This may not seem like a big deal, but consider how intertwined ERP is in a manufacturing company, from finance to production to logistics. ...

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The Legacy ERP Money Pit

Jim Shepherd February 5, 2016

Manufacturers face churning market conditions – changing commodity prices, fluctuating energy and transportation rates, and labor challenges. Avoiding unanticipated expenditures, focusing on driving down costs, and improving agility are imperative....

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