We heard some interesting news last week in the Enterprise Quality Management Software (EQMS) space: QUMAS, a life sciences-focused EQMS solution provider based out of Ireland, was acquired by U.S. scientific software company Accelrys. Reported at $50 million, the buyout was one of several other strategic acquisitions of EQMS solutions providers we’ve seen in recent years.

Processes involved in global manufacturing have become ever-more complex, mirroring the growth of customer expectations. As a result, many of the goals around business operations, including increasing profitability, improving customer response, lowering risk, and others, have become more difficult to manage. In many cases, these problems are compounded for manufacturing companies by the fact that they often have multiple production locations throughout the world, which may be relying on disparate solutions and data sources.

The future of drones--excuse us--unmanned aircraft systems, is a topic on our minds this week as we examine many facets of the rapidly advancing technology that has the public equally paranoid and excited. From the current global market breakdown, to coming job prospects, to the biggest players currently advancing the technology and capabilities, the articles below are intended to take an objective look at a transformative technology that will be entering our lives at an accelerating rate over the coming years.

In a manufacturing organization, understanding what’s happening at the plant level is crucial because it’s where the rubber really hits the road. Having visibility into shop-floor operations is important for achieving several company goals, like meeting customer demands, identifying lagging assets, and reducing manufacturing costs.

Global manufacturing competition has increased significantly over the past decade. To gain an advantage over competitors, leading companies are identifying and leveraging the best technological solutions the market has to offer. One of the key ways manufacturing organizations have been facing complex operational challenges is through the use of Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) software applications.

Explore Pilgrim Software's SmartSolve solution and how the vendor's Enterprise Quality Management Software functionalities are helping life sciences companies close the quality mangement loop.

Building a strong supplier quality management strategy isn't only advisable, it's requisite in today's global economy. And market leaders are turning it into a competitive advantage.

This week we focus on manufacturing sustainability, both from an operational standpoint and in examining the overall supply chain. Looking at further displays of the German automotive manufacturing prowess and a thought-provoking view of the food and beverage industry below, there's plenty to inspire thought on ways to increase efficiency and lower energy use all while better meeting customer expectations. 

Implementing and executing on a global quality management initiative is a challenge faced by many of today's leaders, and the same can be said for quality management at the local level. This article discusses the main reasons why local quality initiatives fail to take hold.

Which business technologies will lead the way in 2014? From mobility to big data analytics, additive manufacturing, cloud and SaaS, augmented reality, and more, this article dives into the most important ones. Join the conversation by tweeting the hashtag #BizTech14.