Lean, Green & Digital and the need for cross-functional collaboration – Requirements when heading from Industry 4.0 towards Industry 5.0

Abstract

Supply chains are becoming significantly vulnerable. Furthermore, governmental regulations demand and the customers expect, that the products are made under best sustainable, ecological and social conditions. Competition is high, which leads to the challenge to create products fast, efficiently and under best ecological conditions. This all can be summarized as the high demand for Lean, Green and Digital processes in value creation that is discussed in this qualitative paper.

The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively explore how state-of-the-art management thinking in combination with digital solutions can help companies to be successful nowadays. It is expected, that cross-functional collaboration is essential to compete at these turbulent times. Efficiency and short response times to meet legal requirements as well as to create products under the paradigm of circular economy are key drivers for success. Additionally the technological and digital advancements need to be considered at the same time. Three fundamental aspects are not covered by Industry 4.0 so far, which are: i) the role of the human being during value creation, ii) SC resilience and iii) focus on sustainability. These elements are leading to the central theme of this paper and will be discussed in the following sections