Lean Supply Chain 4.0: An Integrative Literature Review of Digital Technologies, Supply Chain Coordination, and Operational Performance

Abstract - With increasingly complex production systems there is an increased need for efficient, flexible, coordinated and sustainable supply chains. Lean manufacturing techniques and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) have been developed to reduce waste, variability and improve quality. Industry 4.0 techniques such as IoT, AI, Big Data, Digital Twins, Blockchain and Cyber Physical Systems provide new opportunities to monitor, predict, automate and share information using digital technologies. Despite having similar aims in improving processes, there are challenges to combine Lean techniques with Industry 4.0 techniques within supply chain networks due to differences in technology, organisational barriers, lack of skills and a lack of a framework that can be applied universally. This paper provides an integrative literature review that focuses on literature related to SCM, Lean and Lean Six Sigma, Industry 4.0, digital transformation and supply chain coordination. The literature has been split into themes so that key findings can be identified. Relationships between research areas have also been identified along with gaps in the literature. The synthesis shows that digital technologies can be used to improve Lean within processes. However, digital technologies do not automatically improve supply chain performance. It depends on how well digital technologies are aligned with process maturity, organisational preparedness, information sharing and continual improvement. A key gap in the research was found to be the absence of an integrated framework that can explain how digital technologies and Lean/Lean Six Sigma can be combined with supply chain coordination to improve operational performance, resilience and sustainability. A conceptual research framework has been proposed along with suggestions for future empirical and modelling research.