Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1216587
24 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2020 Overall Themes Looking at how respondents ranked their top three from this list of 10 objectives, some patterns do emerge (Chart 1). The three objectives most listed as a top priority were increased throughput, higher yields, and higher profit margins. This suggests that the ability to support more sales revenue is top-of-mind. In the second-priority category, the top three concerns were reduced labor cost, less waste, and expanded capabilities (with lower operat- ing costs close behind). Respondents are look- ing to control expenses next. Survey by the I-Connect007 Research Team We recently surveyed readers on the topic of smart factories, specifically exploring reader perceptions of what a smart factory entails, along with implementation plans that may be on readers' minds. This survey offers an infor- mal sampling of those responses. Our survey did not require any of the ques- tions to be answered, so not every respon- dent answered every question. However, what emerged shed some interesting light on what readers are thinking with respect to Industry 4.0 and the smart factory. Smart Factories: Readers Share Their Progress and Priorities Chart 1: Of the following objectives, which are your top three key motivators (i.e., process challenges that you want to solve)?