What’s new. What’s now. And what’s happening next. The 2024 State of Smart Manufacturing Report offers a comprehensive look at where 1,500+ manufacturers see challenges and opportunities both today and in the future. From the expanding use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to the ongoing need for a skilled, adaptive workforce, here’s a rundown of the report’s biggest takeaways that will inform your operations ..read more

In the modern manufacturing landscape, the synergy between plant floor operations and enterprise systems is the linchpin of a truly connected, intelligent production environment. At the foundation of this ecosystem, automation and control systems gather the vital signs of the manufacturing processes, but their true potential is harnessed only when this data informs the broader organizational objectives facilitated by ERP and MES ..read more

"Quality is everyone's responsibility." This decades-old quote from quality researcher and educator W. Edwards Deming has stood the test of time for good reason: essential to both products and processes, quality can be influenced by every role up and down the manufacturing process. Everyone shares the burden of maintaining and improving quality — and therefore can also share in the success of achieving high quality ..read more

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 reality-based ..read more

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 except respond to correct or “true up” numbers ..read more

In traditional manufacturing, continuous improvement was a misnomer. It wasn't that practitioners were insincere or wrong. But manual processes, data acquisition, and analysis, created hard limits to what the most zealous continuous improvement methodologies could achieve ..read more

In most industries, product quality is a primary factor determining whether businesses are successful or not. Of course, there are many things that impact product quality, from quality leadership to employee talent to company culture. All of those apply in the manufacturing sector, but manufacturers also depend heavily on their partner and supplier networks to build good products that their customers love ..read more

Each year brings new predictions of the future. These predictions include what to expect, what will happen, and which technologies will power the expectations. While these predictions are always interesting to consider, they should be kept in the context of reality to have value for automotive manufacturers. With a rapidly evolving landscape, this industry is producers are under intense pressure to innovate while radically shifting business models to address new challenges meet changing requirements ..read more

Manufacturers inevitably begin with operational efficiency, cost reduction, and process improvement during the foundational stages of a digital journey. Beyond that, the tendency is to retain vestiges of traditional thinking that “wall off” other functional areas as separate from the production focus ..read more

In every business – no matter the industry – quality is a two-way street. The way a company is managed directly impacts the products and services they develop. Every business wants to deliver a quality product. But an organization can only deliver that great product if executives are great at managing and leading the company. Culture, in particular, is an essential part of this equation. To create a great customer experience, executives must develop a culture of quality, continuous improvement ..read more