Strategic planning for long-term operations must increasingly factor in budget and staffing shortages, regulatory pressure, and rising expectations for sustainability and animal welfare. The transformative ability of smart technologies to improve facility design efficiency and streamlined operations cannot be overstated, but to maximize the results requires early holistic planning. This session provides case studies of projects integrating plans for automation, advanced equipment systems, and service partnerships into planning and design phases to reduce lifecycle costs and create safer, more efficient, and adaptable environments.