Driving Continuous Improvement with Industry 4.0 Technologies: Lessons from Multiple Use Case Analysis

Background: The integration of lean management and Industry 4.0 offers great potential for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of production. However, there is still minimal empirical research on how these two approaches interact in practice, including possible synergies and conflicts. In this paper, we use empirical observations to examine how and why Industry 4.0 technologies can support and enhance the continuous improvement process, a fundamental aspect of lean management. We discuss how these technologies specifically contribute to continuous improvement and their overall impact on operational efficiency. Methods: Our research drew on five case studies, capturing the firsthand experiences of industry professionals—specifically, digitization managers and production managers from manufacturing companies across Europe. We analyzed data using qualitative content analysis, applying a structured approach of coding, summarizing, and cross-case comparison to identify key patterns and insights. Conclusions: Our study has shown that digitalization can contribute to an advanced continuous improvement process in several ways. Through a literature review as well as the analysis of use cases, we were able to develop a new model that describes how I4.0 technologies improve the continuous improvement process, a key lean principle. The model highlights five key areas of impacts: increasing flexibility, transparency, and reliability, as well as improved decision-making and acceptance of change processes.