Building tomorrow’s factory: 5 digital upgrades every plant needs

The article emphasizes the critical role of digital transformation in modern manufacturing, highlighting that in 2022, manufacturing contributed 17.5% to global GDP and employed nearly 13 million people in the US. To meet evolving supply chain demands and efficiency goals, factories must adopt smart technologies such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and automation. These technologies offer tangible benefits including waste reduction through real-time data analytics, optimized maintenance to prevent downtime, increased productivity via automation, enhanced operational agility through predictive insights, and improved product quality with rapid defect detection. Data shows that smart technology adoption can boost productivity by nearly 50% and cut operating costs by over 40%. To build the factories of tomorrow, the article identifies five essential digital upgrades. The first two highlighted are Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) software. ERP systems unify multiple operational areas—production, maintenance, quality control, asset management, and HR—into a single digital platform, enabling smarter automation