Industry 4.0 implies lean manufacturing: Research activities in industry 4.0 function as enablers for lean manufacturing
Abstract: Lean Manufacturing
is widely regarded as a potential methodology to improve productivity and
decrease costs in manufacturing organisations. The success of lean
manufacturing demands consistent and conscious efforts from the organisation,
and has to overcome several hindrances. Industry 4.0 makes a factory smart by
applying advanced information and communication systems and future-oriented
technologies. This paper analyses the incompletely perceived link between
Industry 4.0 and lean manufacturing, and investigates whether Industry 4.0 is
capable of implementing lean. Executing Industry 4.0 is a cost-intensive
operation, and is met with reluctance from several manufacturers. This research
also provides an important insight into manufacturers’ dilemma as to whether
they can commit into Industry 4.0, considering the investment required and
unperceived benefits.
Design/methodology/approach: Lean manufacturing is first defined and
different dimensions of lean are presented. Then Industry 4.0 is defined followed
by representing its current status in Germany. The barriers for implementation
of lean are analysed from the perspective of integration of resources.
Literatures associated with Industry 4.0 are studied and suitable solution
principles are identified to solve the abovementioned barriers of implementing
lean.
Findings: It is identified that researches and publications in the field
of Industry 4.0 held answers to overcome the barriers of implementation of lean
manufacturing. These potential solution principles prove the hypothesis that
Industry 4.0 is indeed capable of implementing lean. It uncovers the fact that
committing into Industry 4.0 makes a factory lean besides being smart.
Originality/value: Individual researches have been done in various technologies
allied with Industry 4.0, but the potential to execute lean manufacturing was
not completely perceived. This paper bridges the gap between these two realms,
and identifies exactly which aspects of Industry 4.0 contribute towards
respective dimensions of lean manufacturing.
Keywords: Production
Management, Lean Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Lean Automation, Cyber Physical
Systems, Internet of Things
Author: Adam Sanders, Chola
Elangeswaran, Jens Wulfsberg
Journal Code: jptindustrigg160039
