Integrating Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 to Enhance Manufacturing Productivity in India
https://doi.org/10.62157/ijietom.v3i1.86
Keywords:
Lean Six Sigma, Industry 4.0, Manufacturing Productivity, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)Abstract
Small and medium-scale manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in India face increasing competitive pressure due to rising material costs, stringent quality standards, and limited operational resources. Enhancing productivity while maintaining cost efficiency and delivery reliability remains a significant challenge. This study investigates the impact of integrating Lean Six Sigma (LSS), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), selective Industry 4.0 technologies, and energy management practices to improve manufacturing performance in an Indian transformer manufacturing SME. Using a structured case study approach, the research implemented a phased Operational Excellence (OPEX) framework over a six-month period. Value Stream Mapping identified process bottlenecks and excessive non-value-added time, while Six Sigma tools addressed quality variation in the coil winding process. TPM initiatives improved equipment reliability, and a low-cost IoT vibration sensor enabled predictive maintenance. Additionally, an energy audit guided targeted efficiency improvements. The results demonstrate substantial performance gains: production lead time decreased by 28.6% (from 28 to 20 days), coil winding defects were reduced by 60% (from 8.5% to 3.4%), on-time delivery improved from 55% to 85%, Overall Equipment Effectiveness increased by 35% (from 52% to 70.2%), and energy cost per unit declined by 20%. The findings confirm that a pragmatic, integrated OPEX framework can deliver multidimensional productivity gains without requiring large-scale capital investment. This study contributes to the manufacturing and operations management literature by providing empirical evidence that selective Industry 4.0 adoption can effectively complement Lean Six Sigma in SME environments, offering a scalable pathway to sustainable, digitally enabled manufacturing excellence.
References
Agarwal, N., & Brem, A. (2015). Strategic business transformation through technology convergence: implications from General Electric's industrial internet initiative. International Journal of Technology Management, 67(2-4), 196-214.
Ajayi, A. O., Maryjane, O. C., Emmanuel, A., & Nwanevu, C. (2025). Sustainability in transformer manufacturing: The role of renewable energy in automating coil winding machines.
Ali, Z. A., Zain, M., Hasan, R., Al Salman, H., Alkhamees, B. F., & Almisned, F. A. (2025). Circular economy advances with artificial intelligence and digital twin: Multiple-case study of Chinese industries in agriculture. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 16(1), 2192-2228.
Al‐Saggaf, H. A. (1997). Application of TQM at SCECO‐EAST: a case study. Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, 3(1), 40-54.
Antony, J., Gijo, E. V., Kumar, V., & Ghadge, A. (2016). A multiple case study analysis of Six Sigma practices in Indian manufacturing companies. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 33(8), 1138-1149.
Antony, J., Sony, M., Furterer, S., McDermott, O., & Pepper, M. (2022). Quality 4.0 and its impact on organizational performance: an integrative viewpoint. The TQM Journal, 34(6), 2069-2084.
Ashkezari, A. D., Ma, H., Saha, T. K., & Cui, Y. (2014). Investigation of feature selection techniques for improving efficiency of power transformer condition assessment. IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, 21(2), 836-844.
Azad, M. A. (2025). Evaluating the Role of Lean Manufacturing in Reducing Production Costs and Enhancing Efficiency in Textile Mills. Authorea Preprints.
Badawi, M., Ibrahim, S. A., Mansour, D. E. A., El-Faraskoury, A. A., Ward, S. A., Mahmoud, K., ... & Darwish, M. M. (2022). Reliable estimation for health index of transformer oil based on novel combined predictive maintenance techniques. IEEE access, 10, 25954-25972.
Berjis, N., Shirouyehzad, H., & Jouzdani, J. (2020). A new approach to determine the weights of project activities using data envelopment analysis: a case of Mobarakeh steel company. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 13(6), 1187-1217.
Braglia, M., Castellano, D., Gabbrielli, R., & Marrazzini, L. (2020). Energy Cost Deployment (ECD): A novel lean approach to tackling energy losses. Journal of Cleaner Production, 246, 119056.
Chen, M., Li, Q., Roberts, C., Hillmansen, S., Tricoli, P., Zhao, N., & Krastev, I. (2016). Modelling and performance analysis of advanced combined co‐phase traction power supply system in electrified railway. IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, 10(4), 906-916.
Chiu, M. C., Tsai, C. D., & Li, T. L. (2020). An integrative machine learning method to improve fault detection and productivity performance in a cyber-physical system. Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, 20(2), 021009.
Çınar, Z. M., Abdussalam Nuhu, A., Zeeshan, Q., Korhan, O., Asmael, M., & Safaei, B. (2020). Machine learning in predictive maintenance towards sustainable smart manufacturing in industry 4.0. Sustainability, 12(19), 8211.
Dweiri, F., & Ishaq, S. (2020). Cable insulation productivity improvement using Lean Six Sigma. International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 30(4), 488-508.
El Jaouhari, A., Alhilali, Z., Arif, J., Fellaki, S., Amejwal, M., & Azzouz, K. (2022). Demand forecasting application with regression and iot based inventory management system: a case study of a semiconductor manufacturing company. International journal of engineering research in africa, 60, 189-210.
El-Thalji, I., Alsyouf, I., & Ronsten, G. (2009). A model for assessing operation and maintenance cost adapted to wind farms in cold climate environment: based on onshore and offshore case studies.
Gaikwad, L. M., & Sunnapwar, V. K. (2024). Validation of Lean–Green–Six Sigma practice model for improving performance and competitiveness in an Indian manufacturing industry. International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, 15(7), 3508-3521.
Galitsky, C. (2008). Energy efficiency improvement and cost saving opportunities for the vehicle assembly industry: an energy star guide for energy and plant managers.
Gijo, E. V., & Sarkar, A. (2013). Application of Six Sigma to improve the quality of the road for wind turbine installation. The TQM Journal, 25(3), 244-258.
Gladysz, B., & Kluczek, A. (2017). A framework for strategic assessment of far-reaching technologies: A case study of Combined Heat and Power technology. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167, 242-252.
Gomaa, A. H. (2025). Achieving operational excellence in manufacturing supply chains using lean six sigma: a case study approach. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma.
Haldar, U., Alam, G. T., Rahman, H., Miah, M. A., Chakraborty, P., Saimon, A. S. M., ... & Manik, M. M. T. G. (2025). AI-Driven Business Analytics for Economic Growth Leveraging Machine Learning and MIS for Data-Driven Decision-Making in the US Economy. Journal of Posthumanism, 5(4), 932-957.
Han, C., & Yang, L. (2024). Financing and management strategies for expanding green development projects: A case study of energy corporation in China’s renewable energy sector using machine learning (ML) modeling. Sustainability, 16(11), 4338.
Helo, P., & Hao, Y. (2022). Artificial intelligence in operations management and supply chain management: An exploratory case study. Production planning & control, 33(16), 1573-1590.
Heshmati, A. (2003). Productivity growth, efficiency and outsourcing in manufacturing and service industries. Journal of economic surveys, 17(1), 79-112.
Jou, Y. T., Lin, M. C., Silitonga, R. M., Lu, S. Y., & Hsu, N. Y. (2024). A systematic model to improve productivity in a transformer manufacturing company: A simulation case study. Applied Sciences, 14(2), 519.
Kaplan, R. S. (1983). Measuring manufacturing performance: a new challenge for managerial accounting research. In Readings in accounting for management control (pp. 284-306). Boston, MA: Springer US.
Karandikar, H., Puntambekar, U., Yagnik, J., & Joshi, D. (2025). Case study on process improvement in a'transformer oil testing laboratory'using value stream mapping for improving service time. International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 44(4), 528-546.
Karimi, H., Niknam, T., Dehghani, M., Ghiasi, M., Ghasemigarpachi, M., Padmanaban, S., ... & Aliev, H. (2021). Automated distribution networks reliability optimization in the presence of DG units considering probability customer interruption: A practical case study. IEEE Access, 9, 98490-98505.
Khan, M. A., & Tonoy, A. A. R. (2024). Lean Six Sigma Applications in Electrical Equipment Manufacturing: A Systematic Literature Review. Aleem Al Razee, LEAN SIX SIGMA APPLICATIONS IN ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.
Kumar, R., & Shinde, S. (2019). Simulation as decision support tool: A case study with data analysis, VSM and simulation applied to an ETO system.
Kumar, U., & Shankar, R. (2022). Application of Value Stream Mapping for Lean Operation: An Indian Case Study of a Dairy Firm. Global business review, 09721509221113002.
Manju, M., Nagarajan, R. V., Satheesh Kumar, P., & Jeganathan, M. (2020). Environmental quality and economical study on electrical and electronic industry-A case study. International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology, 11(2), 266-275.
Martinez-Monseco, F. J. (2020). An approach to a practical optimization of reliability centered maintenance. Case study: power transformer in hydro power plant. Journal of Applied Research in Technology & Engineering, 1(1), 37-47.
Martins, L., Silva, F. J. G., Pimentel, C., Casais, R. B., & Campilho, R. D. S. G. (2020). Improving preventive maintenance management in an energy solutions company. Procedia Manufacturing, 51, 1551-1558.
Melo Sonego, D., Pinheiro de Lima, E., & Gouvea da Costa, S. E. (2024, July). Analysis of Operations Strategies in an Electricity Distribution Company. In International Conference of Production Research–Americas (pp. 419-429). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Mendes, D., Gaspar, P. D., Charrua-Santos, F., & Navas, H. (2023). Synergies between lean and Industry 4.0 for enhanced maintenance management in sustainable operations: A model proposal. Processes, 11(9), 2691.
Nadeem, S. P., Garza-Reyes, J. A., & Anosike, A. I. (2025). A C-Lean framework for deploying Circular Economy in manufacturing SMEs. Production Planning & Control, 36(5), 650-670.
Nadimuthu, L. P. R., Victor, K., Basha, C. H., Mariprasath, T., Dhanamjayulu, C., Padmanaban, S., & Khan, B. (2021). Energy conservation approach for continuous power quality improvement: A case study. IEEe Access, 9, 146959-146969.
Nappi, V., & Kelly, K. (2022). Proposing a performance framework for innovation measurement: an exploratory case-based research. International journal of productivity and performance management, 71(5), 1829-1853.
Nilsson, J., & Bertling, L. (2007). Maintenance management of wind power systems using condition monitoring systems—life cycle cost analysis for two case studies. IEEE Transactions on energy conversion, 22(1), 223-229.
Panayiotou, N. A., Stergiou, K. E., & Panagiotou, N. (2022). Using Lean Six Sigma in small and medium-sized enterprises for low-cost/high-effect improvement initiatives: a case study. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 39(5), 1104-1132.
Peter E. Johansson, Jessica Bruch, Koteshwar Chirumalla, Christer Osterman, Lina Stålberg; Integrating advanced digital technologies in existing lean-based production systems: analysis of paradoxes, imbalances and management strategies. International Journal of Operations & Production Management 28 May 2024; 44 (6): 1158–1191. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-05-2023-0434
Prashar, A. (2018). Toward cycle time reduction in manufacturing SMEs: Proposal and evaluation. Quality Engineering, 30(3), 469-484.
Rane, A. B., Sudhakar, D. S. S., & Rane, S. (2015, January). Improving the performance of assembly line: Review with case study. In 2015 International Conference on Nascent Technologies in the Engineering Field (ICNTE) (pp. 1-14). IEEE.
References
Sahadevan, S. K., & Muralikrishnan, A. V. (2024). Integrating Industry 4.0: Enhancing Operational Efficiency Through Data Digitalization A Case Study on Hitachi Energy.
Sahu, A., Agrawal, S., & Kumar, G. (2023). Triple bottom line performance of manufacturing Industry: A value engineering approach. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 56, 103029.
Saini, S., & Singh, D. (2022). Lean manufacturing practices for enhancing firm performance in medium enterprises: a case study from Indian context. International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 35(3), 352-382.
Saini, S., Singh, D., & Singh, I. (2022). Performance Enhancements Using Lean Manufacturing Practices in SMEs: A Case Study from Northern India. In Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Processing (pp. 187-207). CRC Press.
Sangwa, N. R., & Sangwan, K. S. (2023). Leanness assessment of a complex assembly line using integrated value stream mapping: a case study. The TQM Journal, 35(4), 893-923.
Seth, D., Seth, N., & Dhariwal, P. (2017). Application of value stream mapping (VSM) for lean and cycle time reduction in complex production environments: a case study. Production Planning & Control, 28(5), 398-419.
Setianto, P., & Haddud, A. (2016). A maturity assessment of lean development practices in manufacturing industry. International Journal of Advanced Operations Management, 8(4), 294-322.
Setianto, P., & Haddud, A. (2016). A maturity assessment of lean development practices in manufacturing industry. International Journal of Advanced Operations Management, 8(4), 294-322.
Sharma, A., Bhanot, N., Gupta, A., & Trehan, R. (2022). Application of Lean Six Sigma framework for improving manufacturing efficiency: a case study in Indian context. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 71(5), 1561-1589.
Sharma, R. K., Kumar, D., & Kumar, P. (2006). Manufacturing excellence through TPM implementation: a practical analysis. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 106(2), 256-280.
Sonego, D. M., & de Lima, E. P. (2025, June). Analysis of Operations Strategies in an Electricity Distribution Company. In Intelligent Production and Industry 5.0 with Human Touch, Resilience, and Circular Economy: Transactions of the 12th International Conference on Production Research–ICPR Americas 2024 (p. 419). Springer Nature.
Sony, M. (2019). Lean Six Sigma in the power sector: frog into prince. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 26(2), 356-370.
Stockton, D. P., Bland, J. R., McClanahan, T., Wilson, J., Harris, D. L., & McShane, P. (2007, September). Natural ester transformer fluids: safety, reliability & environmental performance. In 2007 IEEE Petroleum and Chemical Industry Technical Conference (pp. 1-7). IEEE.
Szpytko, J., & Salgado Duarte, Y. (2021). A digital twins concept model for integrated maintenance: a case study for crane operation. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 32(7), 1863-1881.
Tao, F., Cheng, J., Qi, Q., Zhang, M., Zhang, H., & Sui, F. (2018). Digital twin-driven product design, manufacturing and service with big data. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 94(9), 3563-3576.
Tra, V., Duong, B. P., & Kim, J. M. (2019). Improving diagnostic performance of a power transformer using an adaptive over-sampling method for imbalanced data. IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, 26(4), 1325-1333.
Trappey, A. J., Trappey, C. V., Ma, L., & Chang, J. C. (2015). Intelligent engineering asset management system for power transformer maintenance decision supports under various operating conditions. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 84, 3-11.
Trehan, R., Gupta, A., & Handa, M. (2019). Implementation of Lean Six Sigma framework in a large scale industry: a case study. International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, 11(1), 23-41.
Tripathi, V., Chattopadhyaya, S., Bhadauria, A., Sharma, S., Li, C., Pimenov, D. Y., ... & Gautam, G. D. (2021). An agile system to enhance productivity through a modified value stream mapping approach in industry 4.0: A novel approach. Sustainability, 13(21), 11997.
Tripathi, V., Chattopadhyaya, S., Mukhopadhyay, A. K., Sharma, S., Li, C., Singh, S., ... & Mohamed, A. (2022). A sustainable productive method for enhancing operational excellence in shop floor management for industry 4.0 using hybrid integration of lean and smart manufacturing: An ingenious case study. Sustainability, 14(12), 7452.
Tripathi, V., Chattopadhyaya, S., Mukhopadhyay, A. K., Sharma, S., Li, C., & Di Bona, G. (2022). A sustainable methodology using lean and smart manufacturing for the cleaner production of shop floor management in industry 4.0. Mathematics, 10(3), 347.
Tripathi, V., Chattopadhyaya, S., Mukhopadhyay, A. K., Sharma, S., Li, C., Singh, S., ... & Mohamed, A. (2022). Recent progression developments on process optimization approach for inherent issues in production shop floor management for industry 4.0. Processes, 10(8), 1587.
Vahedi, A., & Behjat, V. (2011). Online monitoring of power transformers for detection of internal winding short circuit faults using negative sequence analysis. European Transactions on Electrical Power, 21(1), 196-211.
Wang, C. N., Vo, T. T. B. C., Hsu, H. P., Chung, Y. C., Nguyen, N. T., & Nhieu, N. L. (2024). Improving processing efficiency through workflow process reengineering, simulation and value stream mapping: a case study of business process reengineering. Business Process Management Journal, 30(7), 2482-2515.
Worrell, E. (2008). Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Glass Industry. An ENERGY STAR Guide for Energy and Plant Managers.
Xiang, Z. T., & Chin, J. F. (2021). Implementing total productive maintenance in a manufacturing small or medium-sized enterprise. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management (JIEM), 14(2), 152-175.
Yaghoobi, J., Abdullah, A., Kumar, D., Zare, F., & Soltani, H. (2019). Power quality issues of distorted and weak distribution networks in mining industry: A review. IEEE Access, 7, 162500-162518.
Yingjian, L., Abakr, Y. A., Qi, Q., Xinkui, Y., & Jiping, Z. (2016). Energy efficiency assessment of fixed asset investment projects–A case study of a Shenzhen combined-cycle power plant. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 59, 1195-1208.
You, P., Guo, S., Zhao, H., & Zhao, H. (2017). Operation performance evaluation of power grid enterprise using a hybrid BWM-TOPSIS method. Sustainability, 9(12), 2329.
Zheng, G., & Brintrup, A. (2025). Enhancing supply chain visibility with generative AI: an exploratory case study on relationship prediction in knowledge graphs. International Journal of Production Research, 1-23.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
