Relationships between competences and lean automation practices: an exploratory study

Abstract

Lean Automation (LA) is defined as the combined use of Lean Production (LP) practices and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. This paper investigates the pairwise relationships between the LA practices and their corresponding implementation competences. A survey-based study with 110 practitioners from manufacturing companies was conducted. Multivariate data techniques were used to analyze the responses, which were categorized according to practitioners’ LP experience and I4.0 knowledge. Findings indicate that the relationships between competences and LA practices become more prominent as practitioners’ LP experience increases. A contrary trend was observed when I4.0 knowledge increases. Nevertheless, commonalities were found regardless respondents’ characteristics, such as: (i) the significant relationships between LA practices and competences were all positive; (ii) supply chain-related LA practices are more likely to be extensively associated with all competences; and (iii) competences related to the ability of identifying, analyzing and solving problems through computer programming and data analytics were the most likely to support LA practices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that empirically verifies the pairwise relationship between competences and LA practices. The understanding of this allows companies to foster and develop the proper competences on the employees, catalyzing the LA implementation.

Keywords:

• Lean automation
• competences
• lean production
• Industry 4.0

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Guilherme Luz Tortorella

Guilherme Luz Tortorella is Associate Professor of the Department of Systems and Production Engineering of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil. He is the Head of Research of the Productivity and Continous Improvement Lab and the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Lean Systems. He is one of the founders of the Brazilian Conference on Lean Systems and has more than 18 years with practical and academic experience with manufacturing and operations management.

Tarcísio A. Saurin

Tarcisio A. Saurin is an Associate Professor at the Industrial Engineering Department of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). He has a BS in Civil Engineering, MS in Construction Management, and PhD in Industrial Engineering. He was a visiting scholar at the University of Salford (UK) and at Macquaire University, at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation. His main research interests are related to the modelling and management of complex socio-technical systems, resilience engineering, safety management, lean production, process improvement, and performance measurement. He has carried out research and consulting projects on these topics in healthcare, construction, electricity distribution, and manufacturing.

Paolo Gaiardelli

Paolo Gaiardelli is Associate Professor at the Department of Management, Information and Production Engineering of the University of Bergamo. His main teaching and research subjects mainly focus on Production and Service Management, with a specific interest in Lean Management. Recently his research interests have extended to the exploration of the role of lean management with reference to the main trends in the Operations, including sustainable and behavioural operations, digitalisation and servitization of manufacturing. In particular, he is involved in studying how the adoption of lean paradigms increases the efficiency and effectiveness of Product Service Systems design, development and management.

Daniel Jurburg

Daniel Jurburg is currently a Professor of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Montevideo, Uruguay. He is director of the Global Supply Program, which is carried out in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, and an active researcher at the initiation level within the SNI of ANII. His areas of interest comprehend continuous improvement processes within companies and supply chain management.