One-to-one relationships between Industry 4.0 technologies and Lean Production techniques: a multiple case study

Maria Pia Ciano, Patrick Dallasega, Guido Orzes and Tommaso Rossi

International Journal of Production Research, 2021, vol. 59, issue 5, 1386-1410

Abstract: Production research literature and industry practice have started to pay increasing attention to the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) phenomenon. Scholars and practitioners identified a strong link between this paradigm and the well-known Lean Production (LP) paradigm. Most studies consider LP as a prerequisite of I4.0 and I4.0 as a tool to overcome LP limits and boost its practices. However, so far, these effects have been studied only at a high level, without an in-depth and comprehensive pairwise analysis at a practice-technology level. Moreover, few empirical studies have been carried out on this topic. Our paper attempts to fill these gaps by conducting a multiple case studies research to explain the one-to-one relationships between LP techniques and I4.0 technologies, and vice versa. More specifically, the one-to-one analysis examines the enabling effect of LP on I4.0 and the empowering effect of I4.0 on LP. Based on the empirical analyses, we propose a framework on the relationships between the two paradigms structured into six areas drawn from previous research (i.e. manufacturing equipment and processes, shop-floor management, workforce management, new product development, supplier relationships, customer relationships). Such representation clarifies the interdependence of the two paradigms in the whole supply chain.

Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2020.1821119

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