A comparison on Industry 4.0 and Lean Production between manufacturers from emerging and developed economies

Abstract

This study examines the differences in implementation level of both Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and Lean Production (LP), whose integration is denoted here as Lean Automation (LA), between manufacturers located in emerging and developed economies. A survey-based research was carried out with a total of 249 Brazilian (emerging economy) and Italian (developed economy) companies that are implementing LP and have initiated the adoption of I4.0 technologies. Collected data was analysed through multivariate data techniques. Results indicate that the socio-economic context where companies are located does influence the extension of LA implementation. However, they also suggest that, if properly managed, a ..