GRAND RAPIDS – Plexus Systems, provider of Plexus Online software for the manufacturing enterprise, hosted nearly 300 guests at PowerPlex 2008 user conference who learned about manufacturing technology best practices and the state of the on-demand software company. The three day event was hosted at the JW Marriott Hotel in Grand Rapids.
The conference theme, ?No boundaries?, refers to the global nature of the manufacturing business and the unlimited potential of technologically advanced manufacturing enterprises.
Attendees at the seventh annual user conference learned about the more than 350 modules available to the enterprise through Plexus Online. Customers range from a wide variety of manufacturing industries including automotive, food industry, aerospace and defense and medical device manufacturing.
The event keynote address revealed survey results on the status of manufacturing in the United States by Editor-in-Chief of Managing Automation magazine David Brousell. His sobering, but ultimately optimistic message: manufacturers are concerned that the US government is not as concerned as they should be with the global competitiveness of American manufacturers. However, he feels that the best days of US manufacturing are ahead of us, if we embrace change and leverage technology to drive efficiency in the manufacturing process.
Plexus Systems? chief executive officer Mark Symonds shared positive information about the state of the company including:
Plexus is on track to double the number of new customers in 2008, forecasting 64 new customers by the end of the year.
The company continues to diversify into key precision manufacturing vertical markets including the food industry, medical devices and electronics.
The company?s strategy is to grow with customers and this is taking Plexus into China, Japan, Mexico, Europe – wherever there is a customer need.
The international aspects of the manufacturing marketplace were highlighted by three separate users groups which focused on conducting manufacturing business in China, Mexico and by suppliers to Honda Motor Company.
Plexus partners and customers participating at PowerPlex included Grand Rapids-based GR Spring & Stamping, Wolverine Advanced Materials, Eagle Picher Technologies, Virchow Krause, Magna, Shape Corp., The Revolution Group, iPurity, Plante & Moran and Kors Engineering.
The three-day event was kicked off with a charity golfing tournament on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Plexus Systems? charity partner. The golf tournament alone raised over $7200, with Plexus donating nearly $27,000 in the last year to help those suffering with Cystic Fibrosis.
At the conclusion of the event, Plexus leaders announced that the 2009 PowerPlex conference will be hosted in Cleveland, Ohio, June 1-3, 2009.
For more information, click on Plex.Com
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