Article: Implementing Lean manufacturing strategies alongside Industry 4.0 innovations through fuzzy TOPSIS methodology and value stream mapping: an empirical analysis in the heavy fabrication sector Journal: International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management (IJICBM) 2026 Vol.37 No.4 pp.466 - 510 Abstract: This research assesses the deployment of lean methodologies and Industry 4.0 strategies to enhance operational efficacy in the heavy fabrication sector. It employs value stream mapping (VSM) to identify inefficiencies within manufacturing processes and to select appropriate lean and Industry 4.0 tools for process optimisation. The study utilises the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), an advanced multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, for ranking proposed enhancements. Findings highlight total productive maintenance (TPM) 4.0 and just-in-time (JIT) 4.0 as pivotal for organisational advancement. Implementing these strategies yielded a notable decrease in cycle time by 18.64% and an inventory reduction of 32.97%, alongside an increase in value addition from 4.94% to 6.06%. These results demonstrate the significant impact of integrating lean and Industry 4.0 innovations on improving productivity and efficiency in heavy fabrication environments. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Implementing Lean manufacturing strategies alongside Industry 4.0 innovations through fuzzy TOPSIS methodology and value stream mapping: an empirical analysis in the heavy fabrication sector

Authors: R. Karthikeyan; J. Jerald; Ahire Swapnil Chhotiram

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: This research assesses the deployment of lean methodologies and Industry 4.0 strategies to enhance operational efficacy in the heavy fabrication sector. It employs value stream mapping (VSM) to identify inefficiencies within manufacturing processes and to select appropriate lean and Industry 4.0 tools for process optimisation. The study utilises the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), an advanced multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, for ranking proposed enhancements. Findings highlight total productive maintenance (TPM) 4.0 and just-in-time (JIT) 4.0 as pivotal for organisational advancement. Implementing these strategies yielded a notable decrease in cycle time by 18.64% and an inventory reduction of 32.97%, alongside an increase in value addition from 4.94% to 6.06%. These results demonstrate the significant impact of integrating lean and Industry 4.0 innovations on improving productivity and efficiency in heavy fabrication environments.

Keywords: lean; Industry 4.0; I4.0; value stream mapping; VSM; multi-criteria decision-making; MCDM; fuzzy TOPSIS; heavy fabrication industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2026.153098

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2026 Vol.37 No.4, pp.466 - 510

Received: 14 Mar 2024
Accepted: 20 Apr 2024
Published online: 22 Apr 2026 *

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Title: Implementing Lean manufacturing strategies alongside Industry 4.0 innovations through fuzzy TOPSIS methodology and value stream mapping: an empirical analysis in the heavy fabrication sector

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