"Smart factories are (the return of the king)."
Ha Hee-tak, Director of Bosch Korea
Manufacturing, once a dominant industry, seemed to be temporarily neglected. It was busy moving overseas. However, shifts in the technology market are at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Consider how to leverage widespread technology. Factories will become more customizable, simpler, and easier to operate. This is an opportunity for manufacturing plants to return to Korea. The approaches are endless.

"Smart factories are (scenarios)"
Yong-ju Cho, Senior Researcher at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology
While it's beneficial to approach things from the bottom up, you need to be able to see the big picture. Whether you're a small or medium-sized business, the approach is the same. The government and businesses have different roles. The government should develop a big picture for each industry, while business owners should proactively take the initiative and visualize the entire process from the sensor level. This way, even if you fail immediately, the big picture will be completed in the long run.

"Smart factories are ( start small, fail fast )."
Daeyoung Jeong, Head of SAP Korea
"Best practices" have dominated the market for a long time, following established precedents. Now, there are no companies with the best track record to follow. Don't be afraid of change. Rather, you'll be sweating it out at the Vietnamese or Chinese companies you outsourced. Start small and see for yourself how difficult, yet how easy, it is. You'll fail once, but you won't make the same mistake twice.
Previously, building software required significant investment, but with cloud access, things are different. It's shifting to a pay-as-you-go model, and it's easy to switch to other methods. This is also why in-house startups are thriving.

"Smart factories are destiny."
Kim Tae-jin, Director of the Industrial Innovation Research Institute at the Seoul Business Agency
Responding to rapid change is a matter of either viewing it as an opportunity or a concern. As long as it's profitable, someone will develop and adopt the technology. If you remain in the latter category and fall behind your competitors, you'll have to accept it. If you're a small business hesitant to adopt, consider "just following a step behind." Keep a close eye on your competitors, and if they've adopted it, be sure to take a closer look. The price of the device may have come down and its uses may have expanded, so it's not too late to follow suit.

"Smart factories are (convergence)."
Nam Su-hyeok, Director of Rockwell Automation Korea
Going forward, data technology will become increasingly important. We must proactively move forward. While automation was the primary focus in the past, now we need to establish an infrastructure network that integrates advanced MES systems and security. However, if field workers rely on external support when problems arise, success will be difficult. Korea, Japan, and Germany are all facing similar challenges. Even if we're a step behind, cultivating IT data experts is crucial to preparing for these new challenges.