SDAPI: a systematic approach to integrating Industry 4.0 and lean manufacturing for SME improvement

Many businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), seek to improve productivity and reduce resource usage. Lean manufacturing (LM) is a popular method for optimising processes by eliminating non-value-added activities and improving efficiency and flexibility. However, in today's rapidly changing technological and market environment, companies must also adopt innovative production management approaches to stay competitive. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and related technologies offer the opportunity to take current manufacturing systems to the next level. While previous research has explored the concept of 'Lean 4.0', which combines Industry 4.0 and LM, there has been less focus on the relationship between methodological approaches and technological concepts. This research aims to fill this gap by presenting a methodological-technological framework for implementing Industry 4.0 technologies in SMEs in order to achieve the objectives of LM. The proposed methodology, called SDAPI, is developed through a literature reviews, it consists of five steps: specify, detect, analyse, propose, and implement.