Managing Automation - February 2009 - (Page 14) FREE E-NEWSLETTERS SUBSRIBE NOW! news managingautomation.com maonline Go online for daily news updates in perspective Michigan company is gaining momentum in the market, growing while others are wilting. It welcomed 52 new customers in 2008, bringing its client base to more than 300, and grew its revenue by 33%, the company says. This year, the company plans to hire about 40 people, open a second facility in Auburn Hills, and expand its presence in Eastern Europe, Japan, and China. Growth? In this economy? What’s the secret? It’s simply SaaS. The company has been delivering ondemand ERP and MES applications since 2001. Plex was a bit ahead of the times, as manufacturers worried about the reliability and security of the Internet back then. Today, however, the manufacturing mind-set is changing. “In these times, more than any other, manufacturers have to improve to stay in business and to compete,” Mark Symonds Symonds says. “Yet, they don’t have the capital to do big upgrade projects, so a SaaS solution is just what the doctor ordered.” It allows a manufacturer to streamline and improve operations without a huge outlay, he says. But Plex Online is not gaining customers for Alliances, Executive Appointments, Mergers & Acquisitions, Products FOR PLEXUS, A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME wo little letters — “u” and “s,” which together spell “us” — have constituted the second syllable in Plexus Systems Inc.’s company name for 14 years. Now, the maker of on-demand ERP and MES software has dropped “us” and emerges in 2009 under a new name, Plex Systems, Inc. The name change is also reflected in its flagship software-as-a-service (SaaS) product, now dubbed Plex Online. Why, oh why? The company has come up with some clever explanations, such as “Plex is a suffix used in mathematics to denote ‘10 to the power of X,’ such as googolplex, and it suggests the level of power that Plex Online puts in the hands of its users.” But that’s technobabble meets market-speak. The real reason for the name change is a desire to differentiate between “us” and “them” — them being two other companies with the Plexus moniker that also happen to cater to the manufacturing industry. “Part of the change is to reduce the confusion,” concedes Mark Symonds, Plex Systems’ president and CEO. “We think it is simpler, it is unique, and it will play in multiple geographies as a unique brand.” So it is significant to note that this small T Transform your business through technology FREE Newsletters include: • MA Daily News Alert Hot off the press news exclusives written by MA Editorial • MA Membership Alert The latest industry research, products, news and web events Compete in the new global economy for years to come • Progressive Manufacturer • Viewpoint UPCOMING ODVA Conference and 13th Annual Meeting Feb. 24-26, 2009 Mission Inn Resort and Club Howey-In-The-Hills (Orlando), FL www.odva.org Lean Transformation Summit March 4-5, 2009 Hyatt Regency Atlanta Atlanta, GA www.lean.org PAS Third Annual Users Conference March 9-11, 2009 South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center, Houston, Texas www.pas.com/usersconference Supply-Chain World North America 2009 March 16-19, 2009 Westin Galleria, Houston www.supply-chain.org EVENTS Provocative and inspirational, features the opinion columns in print with exclusives online • NEW Lean Matters SAS Global Forum 2009 March 22-25, 2009 Gaylord National Resort, National Harbor Washington, D.C. http://support.sas.com/events /sasglobal forum/2009/index.html ABB Automation & Power World March 24-26, 2009 Orlando World Center Marriott www.abb.com/a&pworld 2009 Ivara Reliability Leadership Summit April 20-22, 2009 Hyatt Regency, St. Louis, MO http://summit.ivara.com/ Hannover Messe 2009/Manufacturing Executive Leadership Forum April 20-24, 2009 Hannover, Germany www.hannovermesse.de Refreshing commentary on the pursuit of lean manufacturing Sign Up Today at: MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM /NEWSLETTERS ® 14 February 2009 http://www.managingautomation.com http://support.sas.com/events http://www.odva.org http://www.abb.com/a&pworld http://www.lean.org http://www.MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM/newsletters http://summit.ivara.com/ http://www.pas.com/usersconference http://www.MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM/newsletters http://www.supply-chain.org http://www.hannovermesse.de
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