There was a time not so long ago when manufacturers had the time and resources to implement large, big-bang IT projects, such as ERP or PLM, that promised to transform broad swaths of the enterprise.
Not so much anymore.
These days, many manufacturers, facing stiff global competition and the need for quick, certain benefit, are opting for incremental projects that focus on rapidly improving an important, yet specific, business process.
This year's Managing Automation Companies to Watch are all over that trend. The 10 up-and-coming technology and service providers highlighted in the following series of articles have identified an important, discrete pain point common to many manufacturers and come up with a targeted solution for relieving that pain.