Linking Industry 4.0 to lean thinking: a case study

Industry 4.0 is a priority for many companies as it transforms the production contexts while fostering the emergence of new business models. Its goal is primarily to create smart companies capable of high flexibility and advanced product customisation. The lean paradigm is also an industry-established reality aimed at optimising processes by pursuing the goal of reducing wastes and achieving a continuous flow of production. This paper aims to assess whether there is a real link between lean thinking and Industry 4.0. To achieve this objective, an exploratory case study at a leading Italian electronic equipment company was carried out. Furthermore, by observing the digitalisation approach of the case company (which adopted the lean philosophy), the link between lean manufacturing and Industry 4.0 is demonstrated in the context of real applications. The findings indicate that the benefits obtained from Industry 4.0 can be increased if a process optimisation philosophy derived from lean initiatives is adopted.