Profitable and sustainable manufacturing practices were in the spotlight at the annual awards ceremony recognizing standout large and small manufacturers.

Equity investment gives the SaaS ERP vendor the means to pursue expansion plans.

The on-demand ERP vendor plans forays into a slew of industries to minimize the risk of its current dependence on automotive.

Providers of finite production planning and scheduling, business intelligence, manufacturing-specific ERP, and industry-specific PLM tools are among those bucking the downbeat economy.

Plex adds consignment capabilities to its SaaS ERP system in a bid to help manufacturers reduce the cost of goods and inventory.

Plexus Systems becomes Plex Systems in an effort to streamline its brand as on-demand enterprise software continues to gain mindshare in manufacturing.

As new vendors join the party and established players tackle concerns over the model's lack of customization, software-as-a-service gains serious attention as a lower-cost alternative to complex licensing agreements.

SAP's success with Business ByDesign will rest on several so far unanswered questions, including those related to the composition and contribution of the partner network that will help SAP take the new product to market, experts say.

In its long-awaited entrance into the mid-market on-demand software business, the enterprise applications leader unveils SAP Business ByDesign.

With new portals to facilitate supplier and customer interaction, Glovia creates a broader SaaS-based ERP product and girds for SAP's entry into the on-demand market.