Integration of Lean practices and Industry 4.0 technologies: smart manufacturing for next-generation enterprises

Industry 4.0 technologies have attempted to transform current industrial settings to a level that we have never seen before. While at the same time, prevailing applications of Lean tools and techniques over the last 20 years have already dramatically reduced wastes ranging from shop floor production to cross-functional enterprise processes. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review and report on links between Lean tools and Industry 4.0 technologies, and on how simultaneous implementation of these two paradigms affects the operational performance of factories. The existing and potential enhancements of Lean practices enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies such as wireless networks, big data, cloud computing, and virtual reality (VR) will also be explored. A cloud-based Kanban decision support system is also presented as a real-world demonstrator for integration of an Industry 4.0 technology (cloud computing) and a major Lean tool (Kanban).