The automotive industry is motoring ahead of its peers in terms of smart factory adoption and is set to increase investment by over 60% in the next three years, resulting in productivity gains of more than$160bn, according to a new research report from The Capgemini Research Institute. The “How automotive organizations can maximize the smart factory potential ” report tracks deployment of smart factories by automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers in 2019, compared to equivalent research from 2017/18. It found that both projected investment levels and productivity gains relating to smart factories are significant, but that only a minority of automotive firms are fully ready to take advantage through deployment at scale. In the next five years, the automotive industry has aggressive plans to convert further 44% of its factories into smart facilities, followed by42% in discrete manufacturing, 41% in process industries,40% in power, energy and utilities, and 37% in consumer products. This aggressive expansion is reflected in a 62% increase in the proportion of overall revenue the industry plans to invest in smart factories.