A Vision 2030 Roadmap for Smart Connected Factories Using IoT and Advanced Automation in Saudi Arabia

Smart connected factories are becoming a practical pathway for Saudi Arabia to translate Vision 2030 industrial ambitions into measurable productivity, quality, sustainability, and localization outcomes. This review develops a Vision 2030 roadmap for factories that combine Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), advanced automation, edge computing, artificial intelligence, digital twins, robotics, cybersecurity, and human-centred skills development. The study synthesizes peer reviewed literature published between 2020 and 2025, official Saudi industrial transformation priorities, and the technology-adoption logic reflected in contemporary Springer proceedings on technology, sustainability, and IoT-oriented innovation. The aim is not to propose a single vendor solution, but to frame a staged transformation model that Saudi manufacturers, industrial policymakers, and technology partners can adapt according to sector maturity and operational risk. The review shows that smart connected factories require four connected layers: a secure physical layer of sensors, controllers, robots, and energy meters; a resilient connectivity layer based on industrial protocols and private wireless networks; an intelligence layer that transforms raw data into digital twins, anomaly detection, scheduling, and predictive maintenance; and a governance layer that links operational decisions to Vision 2030 indicators such as non-oil industrial growth, high-quality jobs, export competitiveness, and resource efficiency. The proposed roadmap begins with readiness diagnosis and data governance, progresses through connected assets and automation pilots, moves into analytics-driven optimization, and culminates in scaled autonomous production ecosystems. The review contributes a structured methodology, two conceptual models, and an implementation matrix for smart factory modernization in Saudi Arabia.