With the revitalization of the manufacturing economy our technology choices must be the right ones - choices that will provide the necessary infrastructure to support the techniques, software and facilities that are destined to emerge in the near future. The next generation of advanced enterprise resource planning (ERP) - a new standard - is now coming to market that takes advantage of the latest technologies and builds on the legacy of application development that has made extended ERP the standard for manufacturers that are not just content to stay in business and stay competitive, but to grow and thrive.