A Sustainable Methodology Using Lean and Smart Manufacturing for the Cleaner Production of Shop Floor Management in Industry 4.0

Abstract

The production management system in Industry 4.0 is emphasizes the improvement of productivity within limited constraints by sustainable production planning models. To accomplish this, several approaches are used which include lean manufacturing, kaizen, smart manufacturing, flexible manufacturing systems, cyber–physical systems, artificial intelligence, and the industrial Internet of Things in the present scenario. These approaches are used for operations management in industries, and specifically productivity maximization with cleaner shop floor environmental management, and issues such as worker safety and product quality. The present research aimed to develop a methodology for cleaner production management using lean and smart manufacturing in industry 4.0. The developed methodology would able to enhance productivity within restricted resources in the production system. The developed methodology was validated by production enhancement achieved in two case study investigations within the automobile manufacturing industry and a mining machinery assembly unit. The results reveal that the developed methodology could provide a sustainable production system and problem-solving that are key to controlling production shop floor management in the context of industry 4.0. It is also capable of enhancing the productivity level within limited constraints. The novelty of the present research lies in the fact that this type of methodology, which has been developed for the first time, helps the industry individual to enhance production in Industry 4.0 within confined assets by the elimination of several problems encountered in shop floor management. Therefore, the authors of the present study strongly believe that the developed methodology would be beneficial for industry individuals to enhance shop floor management within constraints in industry 4.0.