<s>
Plex	B-General_Concept
Systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
is	O
a	O
software	B-Application
company	O
based	O
in	O
Troy	O
,	O
Michigan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
develops	O
and	O
markets	O
the	O
Plex	O
Manufacturing	O
Cloud	O
,	O
a	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
or	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
ERP	O
for	O
manufacturing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plex	B-General_Concept
Systems	I-General_Concept
began	O
as	O
an	O
internal	O
IT	O
project	O
at	O
an	O
automotive	O
parts	O
manufacturer	O
,	O
MSP	O
Industries	O
Corporation	O
,	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
formed	O
as	O
Plexus	O
Systems	O
LLC	O
in	O
1995	O
by	O
Robert	O
Beatty	O
,	O
providing	O
client/server	O
manufacturing	O
software	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
began	O
offering	O
its	O
software	B-Application
via	O
the	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
or	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
model	O
when	O
Plexus	O
Online	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
changed	O
its	O
name	O
to	O
Plex	B-General_Concept
Systems	I-General_Concept
and	O
renamed	O
its	O
flagship	O
product	O
Plex	O
Online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aberdeen	O
Group	O
suggested	O
in	O
its	O
"	O
Aberdeen	O
AXIS	O
:	O
ERP	O
in	O
Manufacturing	O
2009	O
”	O
report	O
that	O
Plex	B-General_Concept
Systems	I-General_Concept
was	O
among	O
the	O
top	O
four	O
performing	O
ERP	O
vendors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plex	O
was	O
the	O
only	O
ERP	O
software	B-Application
solution	O
provider	O
placed	O
entirely	O
within	O
the	O
“	O
Champion	O
”	O
performance	O
category	O
,	O
just	O
ahead	O
of	O
SAP	B-Application
AG	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plex	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
provider	O
of	O
a	O
complete	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
ERP	O
solution	O
for	O
manufacturing	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
IT	O
software	B-Application
bloggers	O
have	O
written	O
about	O
Plex	O
’s	O
ability	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
wide	O
scope	O
of	O
critical	O
features	O
for	O
manufacturers	O
in	O
a	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
model	O
,	O
where	O
larger	O
ERP	O
vendors	O
had	O
not	O
succeeded	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Plex	O
Manufacturing	O
Cloud	O
is	O
a	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
or	O
cloud	B-Architecture
application	I-Architecture
ERP	O
that	O
manages	O
the	O
manufacturing	O
process	O
and	O
supports	O
the	O
functions	O
of	O
production	O
,	O
inventory	O
,	O
shipping	O
,	O
supply-chain	O
management	O
,	O
quality	O
,	O
accounting	O
,	O
sales	O
,	O
and	O
human	O
resource	O
departments	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
traditional	O
ERP	O
roles	O
of	O
finance/accounting	O
,	O
procurement	O
,	O
human	O
capital	O
management	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plex	O
is	O
targeted	O
towards	O
manufacturing	O
industries	O
with	O
rigorous	O
traceability	B-Device
,	O
quality	O
and	O
food	O
safety	O
requirements	O
,	O
including	O
automotive	O
,	O
aerospace	O
,	O
food	O
&	O
beverage	O
,	O
and	O
life	O
sciences	O
or	O
medical	O
manufacturing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	B-Application
is	O
designed	O
to	O
provide	O
managers	O
and	O
engineers	O
with	O
real-time	O
visibility	O
to	O
production	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Plex	B-General_Concept
Systems	I-General_Concept
calls	O
the	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
solution	O
"	O
ERP	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
software	B-Application
also	O
includes	O
the	O
following	O
integrated	O
functions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Supply	O
chain	O
management	O
software	B-Application
(	O
SCMS	O
)	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Plex	O
Manufacturing	O
Cloud	O
is	O
built	O
on	O
a	O
multi-tenant	B-Architecture
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
(	O
also	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
cloud	B-Architecture
application	I-Architecture
)	O
is	O
an	O
application	O
delivery	O
model	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
user	O
accesses	O
software	B-Application
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
from	O
anywhere	O
,	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
physical	O
location	O
and	O
ownership/maintenance	O
burden	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
that	O
actually	O
serves	O
the	O
software	B-Application
is	O
outside	O
the	O
responsibility	O
and	O
concern	O
of	O
the	O
end	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
IT	O
professionals	O
have	O
expressed	O
concern	O
about	O
moving	O
ERP	O
to	O
a	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
many	O
companies	O
have	O
successfully	O
performed	O
such	O
deployments	O
with	O
Plex	B-General_Concept
Systems	I-General_Concept
and	O
other	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SaaS	B-Architecture
applications	O
are	O
deployed	O
atop	O
the	O
platform	B-Application
layer	O
of	O
the	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
stack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
applications	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
sold	O
as	O
a	O
subscription	O
,	O
shifting	O
the	O
burden	O
of	O
the	O
software	B-Application
cost	O
across	O
the	O
useful	O
life	O
of	O
the	O
software	B-Application
,	O
and	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
accounted	O
as	O
an	O
operating	O
expense	O
(	O
OpEx	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
