## 4 Results
### IoT Implementation Framework
When the participants were asked, \"Can the same blueprint or framework be used to implement Industry 4.0 or IoT technologies at the company?\", the focus group response indicated that \"the current framework or standard can be adapted to implement Industry 4.0 or IoT technologies\" as long as \"the company enhances its capabilities or performs necessary modifications to make it compatible with these technologies\". The participants noted that with some modifications to align with IoT and Industry 4.0 requirements, the company will have a clear path for successful implementation. Further, they highlighted that \"the existing framework or standard has already shown positive results and improved performance, and the company has good experience running it, making it more cost-effective and easier to utilize it for upcoming technologies instead of adopting a new framework or standard\". When the group participants were asked, \"If you are asked to develop a framework that can be used to help make IoT/technology implementation smoother, what would the framework look like?\", a framework for smoother IoT and technology implementation was proposed by the group participants who stated that the \"company will order from the suppliers first, and then the materials will go to the store from where it will proceed for the production\". After that, \"material will go to WIP (work in progress), where the final product will be sent to the warehouse\". The important thing is \"controlling and communicating information regarding each stage effectively to the other\". The group emphasized the benefits of implementing IoT in the framework, stating that it will \"provide better accuracy in calculations, enhance communication, and make the process faster and simpler\". On the one hand, according to the group, \"the manual practices involve many people to authorize the progress on each step, which wastes a lot of time, produces multiple errors, and is very disadvantageous in case of an emergency\". On the other hand, the implementation of IoT technology in the framework \"eradicates limitations of time and place, enabling the industry to be monitored and controlled remotely\". The group mentioned that \"in the proposed framework integrated with IoT technology, the information of the activities at each stage of the material flow would be shared in real time and the process would work according to it\". When the participants were asked, \"What is the expected general impact on the performance of SMEs when implementing the technological framework, especially in IoT?\", the focus group participants mentioned that \"the implementation of the technological framework/IoT is expected to have a positive impact on SMEs' performances\". The group highlighted that \"it will improve internal communication, reduce errors, and enhance product quality and safety\". The success of this framework will also \"impact the company's business,\" making it a \"reliable player in the market with a high-quality reputation, leading to more customer orders\". Customization opportunities through the framework will \"give the company an edge over others\". However, the group recommended that \"Malaysian SMEs should not limit themselves to the national level but expand globally to compete with other SMEs\". With effective marketing, \"they can showcase their capabilities and the quality of their products on an international level\". The following framework (see Figure 2) was proposed on the base of the above study results. The above framework can be used to support the implementation of IoT in real-world scenarios, particularly in SMEs. The three phases, i.e., IoT preparation, planning and implementation, and evaluation and improvement provide a structured approach to ensuring that IoT implementation is successful and sustainable. The three phases are described below. Figure 2: IoT implementation framework to support Industry 4.0 in SMEs.