Data availability is in no short supply to manufacturers today. In fact, the amount and diversity of data available is greater than ever before, giving rise to the "Big Data" discussions on everyone's lips. But how can we best make use of this influx of data to improve product quality and better align products with customer expectations? The challenge lies not in data availability or collection but in analytics.

In this Research Spotlight, LNS Research explores how current and future technology architectures will be used to handle a sea of structured and unstructured data with speed and accuracy, the potential of which will have a profound effect on quality and operations. Specifically, LNS discusses:

• The spectrum of manufacturing challenges as they relate to Big Data
• Trends toward technology adoption
• The role of Big Data analytics
• The need for speed with Big Data