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26 SMT Magazine • November 2015 involve coordinating activities from procure- ment, logistics, marketing, and services. The following are the stages identified for effective digitalization. Automation suppliers are able to install and use them across a wide variety of industries. Impact on the Automation market From an automation standpoint, critical industries in Asia Pacific are the oil and gas, power, water and wastewater, food and bever- age, and mining and metals industries. Major changes are being planned in the electronics in- dustry across the region as well. Foxconn plans to introduce robots in its factory floor in China. Robots are seen as the perfect solution to reduce human intervention as such companies have been criticized for the harsh working conditions for workers. Clearly, the benefits are manifold: Production stability and safer working condi- tions for workers are among the biggest driv- ers. There is uncertainty in terms of the level of interest shown by companies, and investments are hard to obtain, but with a strong electronics industry and shortage of skills, Singapore could be a major beneficiary when it comes to using robots. The average payback time for robots is also a key determinant. Savings is critical be- cause production errors can prove expensive in the electronics industry. While the adoption rates for high-end tech- nology is low when compared to Europe or the United States, Southeast Asia is witnessing trac- tion in the region for automation. The current trend witnessed is that large manufacturers are shifting base units to the Asian continent, par- ticularly Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, where the next wave of growth is expected. But this in itself is not a major driver that will help determine growth in the region. Automation vendors are well aware of the weakening political and economic situation in many regions across Asia Pacific. Government initiatives and outside investments are expected INDUSTry 4.0: ImPLICATIoNS For THe ASIA PACIFIC mANUFACTUrING INDUSTry FeaTure one of the keys to successfully transitioning into an Industry 4.0 environment is to ensure a robust IT infrastructure.