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Unraveling the path to smart manufacturing advancement: insights from necessary condition and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analyses
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DOI：10.1108/IMDS-09-2024-0954.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
PurposeSmart manufacturing (SM), a key dimension of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, envisions the transformation of traditional production systems into autonomous, interconnected and data-driven networks. By leveraging advanced technologies, SM promises to enhance firms' competitiveness and operational efficiency. Despite its strategic relevance, many companies still struggle to achieve high levels of SM advancement. While the operations management literature has identified several technical and social factors crucial for SM advancement, there is little empirical evidence regarding the relevance of each factor in the SM path. Building on socio-technical systems theory, this study aims to understand the specific sequence in which firms need to deploy technical and social factors to advance in SM and whether specific combinations of factors enable firms to achieve higher levels of SM advancement.Design/methodology/approachThis study combines necessary condition analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) using survey data from 234 firms in the automotive component industry.FindingsThe results of the NCA suggest that technical factors and social factors must be deployed in a specific sequence to advance in SM. Initial stages of SM adoption require a limited set of baseline factors, while advanced stages necessitate a broader array of factors. Additionally, the findings show that advancing in SM does not require firms to maximize the magnitude of every factor but rather to ensure a minimum presence of critical factors, indicating the existence of saturation effects. The outcomes of the fsQCA further reveal that certain factors, while not strictly necessary on their own, play a role within specific configurations, illustrating how the interplay of sequencing and tailored combinations drives successful SM advancement.Research limitations/implicationsOur study advances socio-technical systems theory and SM literature by reframing factor alignment as a dynamic and evolving process that adapts to varying operational and strategic priorities at different stages of SM advancement. By uncovering the technical and social factors critical for each stage, we provide a deeper understanding of how firms can navigate the SM complexities to achieve progress. Moreover, we enrich operations management research by demonstrating how enablers interact within broader systems and emphasizing the importance of tailoring strategies to context-specific requirements, moving beyond static frameworks to highlight stage-specific pathways that drive sustainable SM advancement.Practical implicationsThe findings offer practical guidance for manufacturing executives, detailing how to allocate resources strategically and adapt configurations to align with the unique requirements of their SM transformation, thereby facilitating a more streamlined and effective progression toward advanced SM capabilities.Originality/valueThis study is the first to provide empirical quantitative evidence on both the sequence in which firms need to deploy technical and social factors to reach higher stages of maturity in SM and the presence of specific configurations of factors that enable firms to achieve advanced levels of SM.
Keywords:
Smart manufacturing
Industry 4.0
Technical and social factors
Socio-technical systems theory
Necessary condition analysis
Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis
Survey
Automotive industry
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4.7
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2.4K
Citations:
8.8K
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