Track: Lean and Six Sigma

Abstract

This article investigates the moderating effect of the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies on the relationship between Lean Supply Chain Management (LSCM) practices and supply chain performance improvement in the Brazilian industry. The study is based on a survey with manufacturing companies to capture the improvement of four supply chain performance indicators considering implementation level of seventeen LSCM practices, and ten digital technologies related to Industry 4.0. Data were analyzed through multivariate data analysis. Results indicate that the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies does moderate the relationship between LSCM practices and supply chain performance in Brazilian industry. However, this moderating effect does not occur at the same extent as expected. The investigation on the effect of the concurrent adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies with already established practices, such as LSCM ones, in manufacturing companies of emerging countries provides a deeper comprehension of the benefits and challenges to entail greater supply chain performance.