Formidable challenges, from tough economics to rising market complexity, are driving a profound rethinking in the manufacturing industry, according to a global survey by IDC Manufacturing Insights called "Business Strategy: The Journey Toward the People-Intensive Factory of the Future." In this context, effective factory management is essential. In fact, more than 43 percent of survey respondents declared they have a formal process in place to design future production plants.

Eighty percent of manufacturers responding to a recent survey rate reducing overall supply chain costs as the number one supply chain priority in the coming year, according to IDC Manufacturing Insights. Nearly 55 percent suggest supply chain agility is second and 52 percent suggest improving product quality and safety is the third-most important priority.

The key supply chain challenge today is the juxtaposition of complex and extended supply networks with increasingly fast and volatile demand networks - and the increasingly ineffective role for inventory as a way to buffer cadence mismatches.

Manufacturers spend over 23 billion dollars of product revenue on warranty claims in the U.S. alone, and are relentlessly seeking ways to decrease these costs. A new report, IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Warranty Analytics 2012 Vendor Assessment, examines the capabilities and strategies of key vendors of warranty analytics software. The study provides IT buyers and software vendors with a structured review of key market participants: Camstar Systems, Infernotions Technologies, Pegasystems, PTC (4CS), SAP, SAS, Teradata, We Predict, Ltd., and Ubiquiti.