Toolbox Lean 4.0 - Development and Implementation of a Database Approach for the Management of Digital Methods and Tools

Abstract

Lean Production Systems (LPS) comprise an enterprise-specific set of goals and principles in combination with methods and tools for the holistic management of production processes. LPS have been established as an industry standard in automotive and mechanical engineering industries. LPS design is a management task often attributed to industrial engineering units. In industrial practice, the management of LPS methods and tools is often realized using partly unsystematic catalogs, collections, wikis, and databases. With Industrie 4.0, the digital transformation of production, the aim is to develop Lean Production Systems 4.0 (LPS 4.0), based on a synergetic approach of LPS and Industrie 4.0.The evolutionary development towards LPS 4.0 brings new challenges for industrial engineering, especially with regard to increased complexity in the management of existing Lean methods, digitally enhanced methods, as well as completely new digital methods and tools. Therefore, this paper introduces a novel database approach for the systematic management of digital methods and tools. Based on requirements validated with industrial practitioners, the developed toolbox Lean 4.0 provides systematic support for the management of complexity in industrial engineering. Involving a broad industrial consortium, the toolbox is co-developed in iterative loops, based on multiple relevant sources, implemented in a prototype application, and continuously evaluated. The general toolbox framework can be instantiated individually to enterprise-specific needs and at the same time helps explore new pathways for applied research on production system design.