This blog recently discussed cloud computing, and how a company can use the technology to improve its current ERP system. The manufacturing industry is clearly changing, and software systems are at the heart of the adjustments.

At the recent PTA Live Global 2013 conference that took place in Anaheim, California, several experts spoke on the matter. A Design News article discussed some of the speeches and said that a majority of the speakers agreed that when a company is willing to implement changes, software is the first area they should consider updating.

Lou Celi, president of Oxford Economics Americas, said at the event that 68 percent of firms are about to undergo a serious transformation. Celi cited a study from his company, which predicted that additive manufacturing and 3D printing would grow 123 percent in the next three years. Additionally, Celi discussed how more firms are increasingly employing remote diagnostics as a means for gathering design information.  

In order to sift through and make use of such information, companies need to ensure that their software business solutions are current and able to make use of such data. According to a Manufacturing Business Technology article, cloud inventory systems can boost a company's efficiency in several ways, including in real-time inventory monitoring.

"A single change can replicate itself company-wide instantaneously," the article said. "As a result, your staff can have greater confidence in the accuracy of the information in the system, and management can more easily track the flow of supplies and products – and generate reports."

Companies that partner with a manufacturing software systems provider can find the right solution for their needs.