The Manufacturer's Guide to B2B Commerce

whitePaper | September 30, 2022

Until 2020, progress towards digital transformation for most manufacturers was slow. But the urgency for manufacturers to make successful digital transformations escalated during the first 8-12 months of the global pandemic. As COVID-19 reshaped consumer buying behaviors, the pace jumped from a crawl to a sprint: According to one study, 85% of organizations accelerated their digital transformation initiatives in 2020.[1] Some industry observers believe we witnessed 6.5 years of digital progress in the last eight months of 2020 alone.[2] The pandemic was largely responsible for worldwide supply chain disruptions that slowed down goods production and delivery. As a result, manufacturers justifiably focused on managing and fixing the supply chain problems first. But as the pandemic continued, it became clear that the supply chain issues were a symptom of something deeper than the short-term disruptions.

whitePaper | July 7, 2022

Change has always been a factor in manufacturing, but traditionally, market conditions have evolved over several months or even years. By contrast, in today’s global economy, incidents both local and thousands of miles away are shifting market demand quickly, impacting the availability of materials, and reshaping supply chain dynamics at breakneck speed. Manufacturers need to adapt to these changes immediately without sacrificing product quality, customer relationships, or valuable employees. And that requires an adaptive manufacturing strategy.

whitePaper | March 22, 2020

Manufacturers are beginning to adopt AI technology themselves, marrying this new technology with the automation systems they already widely use with the advent of the programmable logic controller, manufacturers have been able to increase their productivity while employing fewer people. Here are three major AI ethical problems that manufacturing executive are facing.

whitePaper | May 1, 2022

The Manufacturing Software Market The global marketplace for enterprise-class manufacturing software is complex and constantly evolving. Sure, there is no shortage of vendors competing for your business, but with dozens of companies all claiming to offer best-in-class products, how do you choose the right solution? You want to choose something that meets your current needs and will leave you room to grow without paying for bells and whistles that you'll never use. An incorrect choice could prove costly and cause more harm than good.

whitePaper | April 18, 2023

Deploying dedicated cellular-enabled industry 4.0 solutions can generate an operational cost savings ROI of 10x to 20x over 5 years. In aggregate, these solutions can generate 8.5% in Operational Cost Savings, which equates to US$200 to US$600 per sqm per year for a factory or industrial site.

whitePaper | November 23, 2022

American manufacturing is a quintessential industry and represents 11.39 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (the overall output of the American economy), contributing significantly: every $1 spent in manufacturing adds $2.47 to the economy.1 The sector makes a disproportionate economic contribution, too, including 20 percent of the nation’s capital investment, 35 percent of productivity growth, 60 percent of exports, and 70 percent of business R&D spending.2 Since there are almost 300,000 factories in the United States, the economy benefits greatly from manufacturers. To ensure these companies remain competitive, adopting new technologies is imperative. To that end, companies must also determine what tools and software will be necessary to most effectively leverage these new technologies.