The phrase ‘smart factory’ was first coined in 2011 at German trade exhibition, the Hanover Messe. The term describes a highly digitalised environment in which machinery optimises and operates autonomously. Yet, despite being in our vocabulary for almost a decade, smart factories are not yet commonplace. Here, Stefan Reuther, Chief Sales Office at COPA-DATA, explains how the connected factory could be the first step of achieving digitalisation in manufacturing.