This LNS Research article discusses recently published industrial content. The round-up for this week includes topics such as advancements in offshore wind energy, ROI of big data for manufacturers, product lifecycle management (PLM) as it relates to quality, and developing centralized energy management. 

Did you know that the global report card displays a 'D' when it comes to our effort of combating global warming? That manufacturing accounts for 16% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 14% of worldwide employment? Or that GE has lowered its sticker price by 20% due to homeshoring? Me neither, and percisely my reasoning for incorporating the below articles into this week's round up. Enjoy. 

Yesterday, SAP announced the release of Business Suite on HANA in a multi-cast press event held simultaneously in Germany, New York, and California. Even though this announcement could have been foreseen as a natural progression of both the organic development of HANA and SAP’s acquisition strategy over the past 6 years, it was met with a great deal of excitement from the analyst, partner, and customer communities.

On June 6, 2012, it was announced that private equity firm Francisco Partners plans to acquire Plex Systems, a pioneer in Cloud ERP manufacturing solutions. Accounting for the facts that Plex Systems is a fast growing competitor in the market and the ERP space is one of the most mature software segments today, this move has the potential to be beneficial for Plex Systems' strategic positioning and growth.