Fabiana Dafne Cifone, Kai Hoberg, Matthias Holweg, Alberto Portioli Staudacher,

‘Lean 4.0’: How can digital technologies support lean practices?,

International Journal of Production Economics,
Volume 241,
2021,
108258,
ISSN 0925-5273,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2021.108258.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925527321002346)
Abstract: Digital technologies, such as advanced analytics, autonomous vehicles or
the Internet of Things, are often touted as means to substantially improve
operations. While this potential has been frequently highlighted and evidenced from
single case applications, we still lack a deeper theoretical understanding of the
underlying mechanisms how digital technologies can support process improvement in
general, and lean practices more specifically. In this paper, we use a qualitative
study based on focus group design to understand how manufacturing and supply chain
management professionals perceive the potential of digital technologies in support
of lean practices. We identify eight digital waste reduction mechanisms that
illustrate how digital technologies can support lean practices. These include a
cluster of mechanisms that augment operational execution in terms of speed and
precision of execution, as well as flexibility in space and time. Furthermore, we
identify a second cluster of mechanisms that augment decision-making through
visibility, feedback, engagement, and prevention. In terms of managerial
implications, our findings provide firms with a structured approach how to identify
those digital technologies that can most effectively support their respective
process improvement activities.
Keywords: Lean manufacturing; Process improvement; Digital transformation; Industry
4.0