The industrial systems of the future are complex systems composed of vast numbers of devices interacting with each other and with enterprise systems. Modern technologies such as web services, service-oriented architectures (SOAs), the cloud, etc. make it possible for sophisticated infrastructures to emerge in future factories. We take a closer look at key visionary aspects that are expected to be introduced in the industrial automation domain in the years to come, and the pivotal role of M2M and IoT. Additionally, we investigate the impact on the collaboration of machines among themselves and with enterprise systems and their services.