Digital Lean — The Next Frontier in Smart Manufacturing

 

Lean manufacturing may be decades old, but its relevance is only growing stronger in the age of Industry 4.0. As manufacturers increasingly adopt smart manufacturing technologies, a powerful evolution known as "digital lean" is emerging — combining the principles of lean with real-time digital insights to reduce waste, enhance precision, and drive continuous improvement.

During MD&M East, being held May 20 to 22 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, Conrad Leiva, vice president of ecosystem and workforce education at CESMII, and Tim Stuart, founder and president of Visual Decisions Inc., will present a workshop titled “Deeper into Lean and Smart Manufacturing Synergies” from 8:30 am to noon May 20 in Room 3D05.

During the session, attendees will learn how digital tools are not replacing lean but, rather, amplifying its effectiveness. Real-world examples will illustrate how digital lean delivers faster decision-making, tighter process control, and stronger alignment with customer value — demonstrating that in today's manufacturing environment, lean and digital go hand in hand.

Threading the smart manufacturing needle

In a recent discussion with PlasticsToday, Leiva discussed the topic, including offering a definition of lean manufacturing.

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“Lean was a great way to get started with manufacturing, but today's environment brings more complex technologies, more complex products, and supply chains that demand manufacturers really leverage digital techniques,” he explained. “That said, just doing digital isn't a silver bullet either. You must keep lean principles in mind when implementing digital tools. That's where the blend of digital and lean comes together to create digital lean manufacturing.”

While there are a number of technologies included in the concept — the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and real-time analytics — Leiva said the key is using them in the right manner.

“It’s really about how you thread these technologies together," he said. “I talk about smart manufacturing as the capabilities that include collecting data, organizing it, providing insights, and using that data for control mechanisms.”

Leiva added that it also is about improving workforce practices and supply chain operations.

“That combination — organizing data and applying smart techniques, from programming to newer AI-based methods — has to work together to realize the smart manufacturing mission,” he said.

Laying a strong foundation

What's not working is creating more silos of innovation or data. For example, Leiva said manufacturers solve a quality problem with a system in one place, then implement a separate solution for a maintenance issue in another place.

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“What is working is laying a strong foundation of integrated systems that connect all the data in the enterprise and making it accessible,” he said.

However, manufacturers can face an array of hurdles when integrating smart manufacturing with lean principles. Leiva said there are ways to avoid these challenges and ways to address them when they do arise.

“One major hurdle is jumping into it without a full understanding,” he explained. “It's easy to go to a conference — like the one we're running — and get enamored with a solution. You buy into the pitch and tell your team, ‘Look into this and let's implement it.’”

A strategic view

Leiva noted that many times what is needed is to take a strategic view, and companies must keep their business outcomes and goals in mind.

“Start by asking where do I want to be in three years, and then reverse-engineer from that vision,” he said. “Ask, what do I need to do now to set myself up to compete better, have stronger relationships with suppliers and customers, and be part of these digital ecosystems?”

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By working backward from that future vision, Leiva said companies can make better decisions about what to implement now. But it takes allocating time not just for problem-solving — but also for future-solving.

Another key, according to Leiva, is how digital lean can impact workforce roles, especially regarding training and company culture, in an industry where hands-on expertise has traditionally driven efficiency.

“That’s a topic that’s very important to me because I'm heavily involved in education," he said. “You can bring in new technology, but if your workforce isn't ready to use it, it won't be effective. You end up with a robot collecting dust — or a high-end CNC machine where you're only using 10% to 20% of its capabilities. The same goes for systems like enterprise resource planning (ERP) or manufacturing execution systems (MES). Many companies only use a fraction of what they paid for.”

Part of the issue, Leiva said, is planning how to use these systems from the start. But it's also about educating a workforce to be digitally literate — to understand the value of data and how to use it to improve their day-to-day work.

“For example, someone might set up dashboards and KPIs, but does the workforce understand the metrics?” he said. “Are they actionable? Do employees know how to diagnose a problem, or what data they need to make the right decisions?”

The digital lean journey

As a result, Leiva said it is important to think about digital lean as a journey.

“You take steps to become more aware, then decide what the next move is,” he said. “It’s an ongoing process of learning and evolving.”

The future for digital lean in manufacturing is bright, Leiva noted, and over the next three to five years manufacturers can be poised to gain a competitive advantage if they can use it properly.