Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to revisit Dr. Ishikawa's statement: “95% of problems in processes can be accomplished using the seven quality control (QC) tools” from his book “What is Quality Control?”. The authors are interested in critically investigating if this...

Purpose: Organizations use Industry 4.0 readiness models to evaluate their preparedness prior to the implementation of Industry 4.0. Though there are many studies on Industry 4.0 readiness models, the dimensions of readiness differ. Besides, there is no study empirically...

Purpose: Multiple organisations which have attempted to implement lean production/manufacturing/thinking have failed to achieve significant benefits. Practitioners and researchers have identified the barriers that hinder successful implementation. This study first consolidates such lean...

Purpose This study investigates the readiness for and understanding of Industry 4.0 in a pharmaceutical manufacturer. Design/methodology/approach Utilising qualitative interviews within a single-site case study in a pharmaceutical organisation, the understanding of Industry 4.0 and the...

Purpose: This paper aims to present and summarise the arguments for and against the ISO 18404 standard and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of implementing it. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative interview approach was utilised by interviewing a panel of leading academics and...

Purpose: Quality 4.0 is the new buzzword among quality professionals. There has been no empirical study of Quality 4.0 yet. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate what are the motivations, barriers and readiness factors for Quality 4.0 implementation. Design/methodology/approach:...

Purpose: Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a continuous improvement methodology that has been adopted by several companies as a strategy to increase their competitive advantage. However, due to the misuse of LSS theory in practice, a high rate of implementation failure results. There is a need for a...

Purpose: Quality 4.0 is concerned with managing quality in the Industry 4.0 era. Specifically, its focus is on which digital tools are used to enhance an organization’s ability to reliably give customers high-quality products. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key ingredients...

Purpose: Quality 4.0 has a unique potential to create a competitive advantage for organisations by improving customer experience and enhancing profitability. The purpose of this study is to examine Quality 4.0, the9; benefits, motivating factors, critical success factors and the skills required...

Purpose: Quality 4.0 is managing quality during the fourth industrial revolution. It is used by modern-day organizations as a strategy to compete and thrive in the marketplace. The purpose of this study is to analyze the potential impact of Quality 4.0 on organizational performance....