Epicor Software VP of Portfolio Marketing - Manufacturing Terri Hiskey has shared insights on how she believes enterprise resource planning (ERP) software will evolve in response to manufacturing trends such as the Internet of Things and increased use of robotics and automation.
Artificial intelligence and advanced analytics will transform ERP, she writes at ETCIO.com's Tech Talk blog: "The smart factory and Industry 4.0 will give ERP systems a new lease of life, making the ERP systems of yesterday unrecognizable."
Hiskey also notes that ERP systems are extending to the cloud, and forecasts that they will eventually become cloud-only software-as-a-service based systems or available as a hybrid solution.
Related Glossary Terms
- robotics
robotics
Discipline involving self-actuating and self-operating devices. Robots frequently imitate human capabilities, including the ability to manipulate physical objects while evaluating and reacting appropriately to various stimuli. See industrial robot; robot.
Author
Michael Anderson, former senior editor at Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, holds a master's degree in written communication from Eastern Michigan University. He has been professionally writing about manufacturing technology since 1998, including more than 10 years at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
