Purpose: The main objective of this paper is to validate the results of the Lean manufacturing application via the DMAIC concept. This study concerns a case study carried out in an automotive company which aims at improving its flows within the production workshop by pulling the physical flow and minimizing the different wastes.   Methodology/Approach: By conducting a literature review to examine the different frameworks for applying the lean method and to extract case studies related to the DMAIC approach which is missing on the selected articles, only one article that addresses this possibility. Findings: DMAIC has allowed a better structuring of the entire project, choosing the right improvement solutions with the right choice of Lean tools and several advantages that are not valid for other frameworks. This implementation shows a spectacular improvement in the production planning, the fluidity of the flow as well as an important financial gain for the company. Research Limitation/Implication: The project duration was not sufficient to apply other beneficial lean tools as the study was limited only to a single production line. Originality/Value of paper: This article demonstrates the added value of the structured DMAIC approach to lean manufacturing methodology and implementation.

The quality of higher education systems currently represents a major challenge for the development of societies. In Morocco, engineering education is at the heart of this development, it is a major and necessary lever which, due to an increasingly demanding job market, faces several challenges. According to Moroccan Directorate for Strategies and Information Systems (2018) these challenges are classified into two categories: quantitative (low rate of Moroccan engineers compared to global figures; 1.57 graduates in engineering per 10,000 inhabitants in 2016) and qualitative (adaptation of the academic curriculum to the needs of the job market). However, little work has been done on the introduction of service assessment tools in higher education in Morocco (Akrim, Figari, Mottier-Lopez, & Talbi, 2010).In our article, we are interested in the SERVQUAL method (SERVice QUALity-Quality of Service). This approach, initially designed to measure customer satisfaction in a company, allows, when applied to higher education, to measure student satisfaction at the university. Based on a bibliographic research, we have identified the five dimensions of the model that impact the quality of service.Through the application of this model to a sample of students from a public engineering school, we have been able to determine that tangible elements and physical installations have the biggest impact on service quality with a negative quality gap (-2.0275). As a result, more efforts are needed in these dimensions to improve service quality.In conclusion, the SERVQUAL model, applied to the educational system and more precisely higher education, allows to quantify the non-quality by measuring the gap between the perception of the students and their expectations for a good service. It has the advantage of helping decision-makers take corrective actions needed to improve the service quality provided by universities as a part of a process of continuous improvement to achieve higher degree of excellence.

With the rapid growth of advanced technologies in the manufacturing sector, a revolution in manufacturing systems is underway and smart manufacturing and its sustainability are becoming the key components towards the fourth industrial revolution. In this context, the IIoT (industrial internet of things), represents a bridge between the digital and physical environment by providing an interactive relation between smart devices and machines also through data sharing. Therefore, it creates a working environment where decisions are made in real-time.The huge data amount generated through the manufacturing system, the high reliability, low latency, and high connectivity demands of IIoT-enabled intelligent manufacturing system requires an advanced wireless transmission technology that goes far beyond the 3rd and 4th generation mobile network. 5G is the most appropriate communication technology for this new IIoT enabled smart manufacturing system’s requirements.Based on the requirements of sustainable smart manufacturing and the characteristics of the 5G wireless communication, this paper proposes a 5G-enabled IIoT framework architecture towards a sustainable smart manufacturing environment, that will allow the support of manufacturers and smart factories in the industrial 4.0 revolution. This is by improving while enhancing efficiency, process and product quality, and sustainability in the whole manufacturing system. Besides, the security threats and challenges of the 5G-IIoT enabled smart manufacturing are also analyzed.