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Scientific Article details

Title Roadblocks in Integrating Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 in Small and Medium Enterprises
ID_Doc 68781
Authors Alsaadi, N
Title Roadblocks in Integrating Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 in Small and Medium Enterprises
Year 2024
Published Systems, 12, 4
DOI 10.3390/systems12040125
Abstract To survive in highly competitive markets, industries focus on enhancing product quality and customer satisfaction. One specific iteration of this approach sees industries striving to optimize processes to improve product quality while generating minimum waste. This has encouraged companies to begin adopting management practices such as lean six sigma (LSS) and kaizen alongside their implementation of digital technologies of automating processing. This study aims to identify and analyze the barriers to integrating LSS practices with Industry 4.0 technologies for small and medium enterprises. Upon shortlisting fifteen barriers from an exhaustive literature review, the Grey-Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology is used to analyze those shortlisted barriers and establish causal relations between barriers and outcomes. The findings identify the lack of available infrastructure, lack of training on LSS, and lack of consultants in the field as the most dominant barriers in the cause group. Furthermore, the influence map of barriers produced demonstrates the relationship between cause-and-effect barriers. This study's findings will ensure that small and medium enterprises formulate business strategies that mitigate the barriers to integrating LSS with Industry 4.0. This study offers insights into overcoming the identified challenges by proposing strategies to enhance product quality and the accuracy of enterprise decision-making, thereby facilitating a successful integration and fostering sustainable growth in SMEs.
Author Keywords lean six sigma; Industry 4.0; barriers; Grey-DEMATEL; mitigating strategies
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)
EID WOS:001210265700001
WoS Category Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Research Area Social Sciences - Other Topics
PDF https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/12/4/125/pdf?version=1712478667
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