Speeding Up the Implementation of Industry 4.0 with Management Tools: Empirical Investigations in Manufacturing Organizations

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine how the use of management tools supports the readiness of manufacturing organizations for the implementation of Industry 4.0. The originality of the research is reflected in the exploration of the relationship between the use of the selected well-known management tools and their readiness for the implementation of Industry 4.0, which was assessed using a combination of two models—one developed by the National Academy of Science and Engineering (Acatech) and the other by the University of Warwick. The relationship was assessed by applying structural equation modeling techniques to a data set of 323 responses from employees in manufacturing organizations. The results show that the use of six sigma, total quality management, radio frequency identification, a balanced scorecard, rapid prototyping, customer segmentation, mission and vision statements, and digital transformation is positively associated with Industry 4.0 readiness. Inversely, outsourcing and strategic planning are negatively associated with Industry 4.0 readiness, while lean manufacturing, which is often emphasized as the cornerstone of Industry 4.0 implementation, is not associated with Industry 4.0 readiness in our study. These findings can help organizations to understand how to consider and measure readiness for the implementation of Industry 4.0 more comprehensively and present guidelines on how the use of management tools in manufacturing organizations can foster their implementation of Industry 4.0 principles.

Controlling an Industrial Robot Using a Graphic Tablet in Offline and Online Mode

“…The qualitative leap that accompanies the fourth industrial revolution results in humans and machines co-creating a production system [ 15 ]. In this system, various components can be distinguished: Incremental manufacturing (3D printing)—used to produce complete products [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], systems integration—the flow of data and control signals between machines, information systems, people and management systems [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)—the unified integration of statuary and management systems [ 23 , 24 ], Cloud computing—making external hardware and software resources available to process production data and perform complex calculations for the production process itself as well as for management systems [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], big data analysis (Big Data)—i.e., the use of large computing powers to collect, store and analyze large amounts of data [ 28 , 29 ], augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]—technologies that are proposing to move industry to virtual and augmented reality, Cyber security—which plays a huge role in cloud computing and analyzing large data sets on external servers [ 33 , 34 ]. …”

“…systems integration—the flow of data and control signals between machines, information systems, people and management systems [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ],…”

What Drives the Usage of Management Tools Supporting Industry 4.0 in Organizations?

“…Recently, along with the need to implement principles of Industry 4.0 in organizations to improve their working and processes [ 20 , 21 ], it has also been emphasized how management tools support the implementation and utilization of Industry 4.0 principles in organizations, as well as support organizations working under Industry 4.0 conditions [ 22 ]. There are also theoretical assumptions that certain management tools better support organizational working under Industry 4.0 conditions.…”

“…In this context, lean management and lean principles are most frequently emphasized, being seen as key building blocks of Industry 4.0 in organizations [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Taken together, the existing literature indicates that the most important and promising management tools that are supporting organizations’ work in Industry 4.0 conditions are lean production [ 24 , 27 , 28 ], rapid prototyping [ 29 ], digital transformation [ 22 ], etc.…”

“…We are familiar with the theoretical assumptions and argumentation [ 27 , 30 , 31 , 32 ], as well as few empirical evidence [ 22 ], indicating that management tools play a key role in the implementation of Industry 4.0 in organizations, as well as support the work of organizations under Industry 4.0 principles. This leads to a new challenge–what drives the usage of management tools, and which tools are of most interest to organizations working in Industry 4.0 conditions?…”