Title: Breaking down implementation and integration challenges for lean with Industry 4.0 in the heavy fabrication industries: an ISM study

Authors: R. Karthikeyan; J. Jerald; B.G. Aadithya

Addresses: Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli – 620015, India ' Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli – 620015, India ' Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli – 620015, India

Abstract: To improve organisational performance and competitiveness, organisations have started applying lean and Industry 4.0 techniques. Regrettably, many initiatives face some difficulties in execution due to a variety of barriers, resulting in failures. This article attempts to highlight and evaluate the barriers to successful integration and implementation of lean and Industry 4.0 techniques for a clear interpretation and understanding in the heavy fabrication industries. Interpretative structural modelling (ISM) was used to construct the self-interaction and final reachability matrix, with contributions from industrial and educational specialists. Furthermore, the key driving force and dependence strength of the barriers have also been discovered. The important findings of this research are reluctance in top and middle management support, ineffective long-term initiative planning, and Inadequate knowledge of lean and Industry 4.0 methods. This ISM model represents a more detailed look at the issues that professionals in the heavy fabrication sectors experience while implementing lean and Industry 4.0 techniques.

Keywords: Industry 4.0; lean; interpretive structural modelling; ISM; heavy fabrication industries; matrix impact of cross multiplication applied to classification; MICMAC; analysis; lean barriers; Industry 4.0 barriers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2025.150429

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2025 Vol.36 No.4, pp.542 - 581

Received: 22 Nov 2023
Accepted: 27 Nov 2023
Published online: 13 Dec 2025 *

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