Identifying pathways to a high-performing lean automation implementation: An empirical study in the manufacturing industry

Guilherme Luz Tortorella, Gopalakrishnan Narayanamurthy and Matthias Thurer

International Journal of Production Economics, 2021, vol. 231, issue C

Abstract: This paper examines pathways to implement a high-performing Lean Automation (LA). We asked 61 manufacturers from Brazil and India that are undergoing a lean implementation together with the adoption of disruptive digital technologies from Industry 4.0 (I4.0) to indicate their implementation sequence. We then used multivariate data techniques to analyze the collected data. Our findings suggested three sets of lean practices and I4.0 technologies; namely: start-up, in-transition and advanced. Further, companies that presented a higher performance improvement have more extensively implemented start-up and in-transition practices/technologies. However, no significant difference was found for the adoption level of advanced practices/technologies between low- and high-performer companies. Since the integration of I4.0 technologies into Lean Manufacturing (LM) is a relatively recent phenomenon, our study provides guidelines related to a preferential implementation sequence within this portfolio of practices and technologies.

Keywords: Lean automation; Lean manufacturing; Industry 4.0; Performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:proeco:v:231:y:2021:i:c:s0925527320302759

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2020.107918

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