Companies are driving "smart manufacturing" through the use of data, automation and a more intensive approach to analytics. Simon Jacobson, vice president with Gartner, explains how this trend will impact the way in which product is made in the future -- and what role human beings will play.

When asked to describe the impact on the economy of modernizing factories with advanced technology and automation, nearly two-thirds of Americans told pollsters that it either made no difference or actually hurt the economy, according to The Wall Street Journal.