TROY, MI – Advances in manufacturing technology are transforming the production process for many shops and driving innovation, according to a new study, "State of Manufacturing Technology," from software developer Plex Systems.

Findings from the report indicate cloud technology is not only revamping product creation but improving logistics by tracking those products across global supply chains. Additionally, survey respondents said the technology aids in streamlining materials handling and boosts product quality and shop safety.

Approximately 130 manufacturers were surveyed, according to Plex. Additional key findings include:

Forty percent of respondents drew a direct correlation between cloud technologies and their ability to drive innovation in their own products over the next five years.

After deploying cloud systems:

66 percent of respondents saw improvements in plant productivity

74 percent achieved operating process improvements

61 percent achieved better quality in their own products

80 percent use consumer mobile devices such as tablets and webcams to access, stream and share information across large production facilities and global supply chains

55 percent use IP-enabled tools and machines, which automatically adjust to meet product specifications and capture rich, real-time data for traceability

The full report is available at  http://www.plex.com/resources/white-paper/plex-study-shows-cloud-emerging-as-innovation-platform.html.