In the race to modernize, companies can often neglect foundational principles. With industry 4.0 taking over in manufacturing more and more SME’s are automating their processes utilising industry 4.0 technologies. Companies are integrating more automation, data systems and new technologies in a bid to secure their future, become more efficient, productive and reduce costs. This race to change can mean that the basics that have been around for years can be missed. For manufacturing SME’s these are techniques and methodologies around lean manufacturing and six sigma practices that can often be as effective in achieving the optimisation goals they set out. The ultimate failure with this approach is that the business ends up automating waste in the race to keep up.