PurposeThis study proposes the Smart SME Technology Readiness Assessment (SSTRA) methodology which aims to enable practitioners to assess the SMEs Industry 4.0 technology readiness throughout the end-to-end engineering across the entire value chain; the smart product design phase is the focus in this paper.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed SSTRA utilises the analytic hierarchy process to prioritise smart SME requirements, a graphical interface which tracks technologies' benchmarks under Industry 4.0 Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs); a mathematical model used to determine the technology readiness and visual representation to understand the relative readiness of each smart main area. The validity of the SSTRA is confirmed by testing it in a real industrial environment. In addition, the conceptual model for Smart product design development is proposed and validated.FindingsThe proposed SSTRA offers decision-makers the facility to identify requirements and rank them to reflect the current priorities of the enterprise. It allows SMEs to assess their current capabilities in a range of technologies of high relevance to the Industry 4.0 area. The SSTRA assembles a readiness profile allowing decision-makers to not only perceive the overall score of technology readiness but also the distribution of technology readiness across the main smart areas. It helps to visualise strengths and weaknesses; whilst emphasising the fundamental gaps that require serious action to assist the program with a well-balanced effort towards a successful transition to Industry 4.0.Originality/valueThe SSTRA provides a step-by-step approach for decision-making based on data collection, analysis, visualisation and documentation. Hence, it greatly mitigates the risk of further Industry 4.0 technology investment and implementation.

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the current state of research to identify the link between Lean Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies to map out different research themes, to uncover research gaps and propose key recommendations for future research, including lessons to be learnt from the integration of lean and I4.0. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) is conducted to thematically analyse and synthesise existing literature on Lean Manufacturing–I4.0 integration. The review analysed 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Findings In total, five main research themes were identified, and a thematic map was created to explore the following: the relationship between Lean Manufacturing and I4.0; Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 implication on performance; Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 framework; Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 integration with other methodologies; and application of I4.0 technologies in Lean Manufacturing. Furthermore, various gaps in the literature were identified, and key recommendations for future directions were proposed. Research limitations/implications The integration of Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 will eventually bring many benefits and offers superior and long-term competitive advantages. This research reveals the need for more analysis to thoroughly examine how this can be achieved in real life and promote operational changes that ensure enterprises run more sustainably. Originality/value The development of Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 integration is still in its infancy, with most articles in this field published in the past two years. The five main research themes identified through thematic synthesis are provided in the original contribution. This provides scholars better insight into the existing literature related to Lean Manufacturing and I4.0, further contributing to defining clear topics for future research opportunities. It also has important implications for industrialists, who can develop more profound and richer knowledge than Lean and I4.0, which would, in turn, help them develop more effective deployment strategies and have a positive commercial impact.

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For several years Lean manufacturing has been adopted by industries in improving the operational performance of the firm. However, Lean manufacturing is associated with fixed production sequence and slow responsiveness, which limits its capability of meeting the constantly changing customer demand, product variability & customisation. This can inhibit its adaptability in the digital era. Meanwhile, Industry 4.0 technologies support the mass production of highly customisable products by being modular and flexible. Although Industry 4.0 technologies can meet the demands of the digital era, they are considered as a solution provider with little scope for organisational process improvement. Hence, an integration of both approaches will lead to a competitive advantage in the digital era. This paper aims to explore and evaluate the work done by researchers in identifying the link between lean manufacturing and Industry 4.0 technologies, through a systematic literature review to understand if lean manufacturing and Industry 4.0 technology can be integrated effectively.

The aim of this research paper is to develop a new conceptual framework for an information fractal to optimise inventory including safety stock, cycle stock and prevent stock out at lowest logistics cost and further enhance integration within the network. The proposed framework consists of two levels; top and bottom level fractals. Fractals in the bottom level analyse demand, optimise safety stock and then transmit output to the top level fractal. Fractals in the top level investigate different replenishment frequencies to determine the optimum cycle stock for each fractal in the bottom level. The proposed conceptual framework and a hypothetical supply network are implemented and validated using mathematical modelling and Supply Chain GURU Simulation Software; in order to optimise inventory in the supply network during the demand test period. Experimental factorial design and statistical techniques (MANOVA) are used to generate and analyse the results.