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56 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2022 Industry 4.0, though only five years old, already has a checkered history. With buzz- words flying, existing technologies—re- branded as Industry 4.0 solutions—have been in demand. Manufacturers embarked on the Industry 4.0 "gold rush" to gather as much data as possible, and by whatever means necessary, to get those nuggets of smart manufacturing credibility. Today, the more mature approach of Industry 4.0 is emerging with consideration of a real return on investment (ROI) as well as sustainability. Taking advantage of such matu- rity may have been the smartest option all along. e early pioneers of smart manufacturing have been doing a great job, with immense investment, sacrifice, and some compelling success stories, especially for enhanced auto- mation of continuous manufacturing in Asia and agile manufacturing in Europe; this has demonstrated how far automation can be expanded when aided by smart soware. Has the Industry 4.0 Gold Rush Ended? Smart Factory Insights Feature Column by Michael Ford, AEGIS SOFTWARE