Sven Diedrich of Pinaxis named four pillars for automation at IMTS in Chicago. The pillars are people, processes, data and systems. He said these must align to avoid silos. Diedrich warned against starting with technology alone. He noted automation exposes process weaknesses quickly. Companies often overlook people in automation plans. Skills development is critical for automation success. Clear process ownership prevents failure. Automation can amplify bad processes as well as good ones. Trustworthy data is essential for AI-driven decisions. Systems must enable communication between departments and equipment. Scaling automation requires addressing tribal knowledge gaps.