News Feature | February 25, 2015

Manufacturing IT News For VARs 2-25-15: The IoT And 3D Printing

By Trisha Leon, contributing writer

VAR consultant advisor

Topics of articles this week include the Internet of Things (IoT)’s impact on manufacturing and 3D printing adoption among manufacturers.

How Will The IoT Affect Manufacturing?

Sean Riley, the global manufacturing and supply chain solutions director at Software AG, recently spoke with Bridget Bergin of Manufacturing.net, explaining how the IoT will shape the manufacturing sector in the coming year. His predictions shed light on the direction U.S. manufacturing will take in 2015 and the role technology, including automation and the IoT will play.

67% Of Manufacturers Are Adopting 3D Printing

The Industry Week article, “3D Printing and the Cloud: A Natural Fit for Manufacturers,” cites a survey by the global consultancy, PwC, which found that, “67 percent of manufacturers are adopting 3D printing in some way, most frequently in prototyping. Just 9 percent of manufacturers don’t envision ever adopting 3D printing.” Though 3D printing is yet in its infancy, the technology holds vast potential for manufacturers and consumers alike.

Economy Shows Only Slight Gains In January

According to Industrial Distribution, the U.S. economy showed only slight gains in January. Martin Crutsinger writes, “An index designed to predict the future health of the U.S. economy rose in January by the smallest amount in five months, indicating the economy’s momentum may have slowed a bit.” Despite this dip in momentum, economists predict the economy will continue to grow at a moderate rate throughout 2015.

Manufacturing And Warehousing IT Talking Points

An IBM whitepaper featured in InfoWorld, “Improving the Management and Governance of Unstructured Data,” shares insights into how companies can maximize efficiency by understanding data value and automated, policy-based compliance. With more data than ever available to companies, the sheer volume can be overwhelming. This whitepaper gives advice on how to manage the data and employ it to promote growth.  Find more information here.

For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Manufacturing And Warehousing Tech Center.