Manufacturers eager to jumpstart growth opportunities are embracing digital strategies. New technologies offer exciting ways to leverage sensor data, engage with customers, and automate processes. New ways of looking at products, services and the complete value chain are transforming the way we think about manufacturing products and distributing them to the market. While the potential impact is promising, it can also be intimidating. Where do you start? How do you measure success? This checklist provides nine elements critical to a successful digital deployment, based on a timely report by R “Ray” Wang of Constellation Research.

A panel of experts recently convened to discuss what the coming years hold for manufacturing. They all agree that manufacturing is “enjoying a moment,” and that optimism remains high among manufacturers. Still, there are challenges to overcome and technologies and processes that will be important for manufacturers to keep on the right path. In this paper, we’ll highlight 10 trends and challenges manufacturers need to keep an eye on.

The Internet of Things will allow manufacturers to provide B2B customers with a controlled level of involvement in manufacturing oriented business processes. This benefits both parties because both have the same objectives. 

To date, more than 400 global manufacturing leaders have responded to the LNS Research Manufacturing Operations Management survey, which focuses on identifying the top objectives, challenges, and trends across manufacturing verticals.

Infor is named as a global competitor global cloud ERP market.

Global Cloud ERP Market report is in-depth study on how the status is for  industry. This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolios of the leading companies. It also includes profiles of leading companies and brands that are driving the market with their recent developments, product launches, joint ventures, merges, and accusations. The global Cloud ERP Market report also gives a deep knowledge about market definition, classifications, applications, engagements and market trends while also showing the CAGR figures for the Forecast years 2018-2025. SWOT analysis is used to find the market drivers and restrains.

With digitalization, manufacturers can achieve ROI in two ways: By reducing costs or by increasing revenue. According to, “Manufacturing's next big act: Building an industrial digital ecosystem,” nearly two-thirds of manufacturers expect digital manufacturing technologies, such as increased use of sensors, to help reduce overhead by at least 11%. A very optimistic 23% even hope to see cost savings of more than 30%. Most are basing their projections on the efficiencies gained from automation. In addition, more than half expect to see revenues gains of at least 11% (with 18% expecting revenues to rise more than 30%) over the next 5 years.

Direct mail is back—but this time, it’s providing advanced analytics about the buyer journey, intent, and conversion.

In this episode, Matt Gunn chats with Tom Barbaro of PebblePost, the company that invented programmatic direct mail. As most retailers have gone digital in their marketing efforts, the mailbox has become relatively vacant, clearing the way for “digitally reactive mail”—allowing retailers to retarget customers at home and capture advanced analytics about buyer intent and conversion.

Leave your legacy with the next generation of retail and fashion software.

By Nick Castellina, Infor industry & solution strategy director

Digital manufacturing. Industry 4.0. You’re probably familiar with these terms, and maybe you’ve even successfully piloted these concepts. But how do you roll out such an initiative more broadly, beyond a specific use case, to ensure you are deploying operational intelligence to your entire operation and across factories, and gaining the promised productivity increases?

Many companies start with a predictive maintenance pilot, according to Capgemini’s podcast: “Emerging Trends in Digital Manufacturing with Pascal Brosset.” Improving the reliability of critical assets has an obvious payback, uses proven analytics, and is overseen by a limited, self-contained team: maintenance. Further, more and more equipment manufacturers provide maintenance services or applications along with the asset itself, which further accelerates the maturity and popularity of this use case.

Manufacturers in all segments, from food and beverage to industrial machinery and equipment, know that digitalization is coming and they need to adapt or risk obsolescence. They all want to find an easy way to do that. But there’s no easy method for achieving digitalization, also known as digital transformation or Industry 4.0. Research shows manufacturers are ready to move forward, but with small steps in carefully controlled pilot projects.

While this a move in the right direction, manufacturers should also recognize that short-term initiatives will not offer the massive gains of an enterprise-wide re-vamp of processes. The true potential of digitalization will come from new revenue streams and outcome based selling. That type of strategy must start at the top, and start now.

What if instead of racing against the clock, you could deliver on time, every time? With fierce competition, you must be able to get to market quickly and do a better job matching up supply with demand. No matter how complex your supply chain, you must respond faster to change, reduce excess inventory, and cut costs. Even more importantly, your customers expect what you promised, when you promised it. You can deliver all this and more with an ERP solution that helps you improve productivity—both in the office and on the shop floor.

Infor® CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine®) is that ERP solution.