Phil Hochmuth and John Fontana

Envision a modern-day manufacturing plant and chances are you conjure up images of large robotic arms and other automated machines. Today, manufacturers are turning to a wealth of network-based tools for the next step forward, everything from radio frequency ID (RFID) tags for sophisticated inventory control and supply chain management capabilities to online business-to-business e-commerce exchanges.

Envision a modern-day manufacturing plant and chances are you conjure up images of large robotic arms and other automated machines.