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Hexagon, a global leader in sensor, software, and autonomous technologies, and Plex Systems, the leader in cloud-delivered smart manufacturing solutions, announced a new strategic partnership. The global partnership will enable Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division and Plex to co-sell Plex MES to Hexagon manufacturing customers, helping them to take control of the plant floor through full visibility and connectivity and realize the promise of Industry 4.0.
"There's no question that more connected, data-driven approaches to manufacturing are central to bringing better products to market faster and more cost-effectively with confidence," said Paolo Guglielmini, president of the Manufacturing Intelligence division at Hexagon. "Plex brings valuable experience to our customers, and its impressive open MES solution augments our technologies offering a path to ramp up shop floor efficiency by bringing together data from siloed processes to solve manufacturing problems faster and more collaboratively."
Hexagon and Plex share a common vision for smart manufacturing, offering manufacturers an incremental path to achieve greater automation and Industry 4.0 adoption. Using Plex's robust Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with integrated quality control, Hexagon customers will be able to augment their workflows by streaming quality measurements, engineering data and other manufacturing information into Plex's MES creating a digital system of record in real-time. Manufacturers will benefit from enhanced visibility and control over their inventory and manufacturing processes, while gaining deeper insight, traceability and opportunities for continuous innovation by combining Plex and Hexagon's digital solutions.
"We are thrilled to partner with Hexagon, an organization that is just as dedicated to delivering smart manufacturing solutions as we are and with a global scale," said Bill Berutti, CEO at Plex. "Smart manufacturing isn't something that will happen years down the road … it's real, it's imperative and it's happening now."
Hexagon and Plex will partner in opportunities, initially in Europe and India, where Hexagon prospects and customers have MES needs. The combination of Hexagon and Plex for these manufacturers provides a fully digitalised solution from plant measurement and metrology to managing end-to-end production.
"Smart manufacturers are seeking continuous product and process improvements to ensure that quality is measured, enforced and managed in a closed-loop across design, production and inspection," said Reid Paquin, research director, at IDC. "This new partnership will enable manufacturers to do just that and on a global level."
