While some industries look to cutting-edge technologies, the manufacturing sector is focused on the basics: using IT to cut costs and improve efficiency.

It may not be the most glamorous technical work, but it's the type of technology that's making manufacturers more competitive and more user friendly, while earning them more money in the process.

"Absolutely. We're focused on continuous improvements," says Woodie Perkins, director of business information systems at Batesville Casket, the country's largest casket manufacturer with $780 million in annual revenue. "Improving service while cutting costs is the name of our game."

The company, which can produce a made-to-order casket in four hours, is focused on seamlessly connecting with its 80 distribution centers, funeral-home directors scattered across the country, and a fleet of 150 delivery trucks. Its IT team is also building a Web portal so its funeral-home customers can view their ordering patterns and histories, and people ordering caskets for their loved ones can view models they've designed online before making the final purchase.

Batesville is in good company. The InformationWeek 500 survey shows that increasing efficiency and productivity is a big deal with CIOs and upper-level IT managers in the manufacturing industry, with 65% saying they're keying in on creating more efficient business processes and lowering IT and business costs..