A Literature Analysis of Mutual Influences Between Industry 4.0 and 5S Continual Improvement Tool in Different Digitalization Contexts

Continual (also called continuous) Improvement (CI) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) refer to two complementary paradigms and sets of practices in production engineering that have been interacting and nurturing each other since 2011, date by which I4.0 terminology and concept were first introduced. 5S is one of the most popular tools and best practices of CI in industrial organizations. Although I4.0 technologies, features, practices, and skills impact 5S adoption and practice in several ways, the analysis of these impacts appears to be poorly covered in the scientific literature and industrial practice. This chapter analyzes the contributions of I4.0 to 5S by investigating such important questions as what industrial standards and specifications relate I4.0 to CI in general and to 5S in particular, which I4.0 technologies were considered in 5S projects, for what purposes such technologies were considered, and what are the critical success factors and barriers to achieve such projects. The chapter follows a systematic literature review procedure to synthesize 36 selected references, provide an overview of past, present, and future trends with respect to 5S digitalization, suggest a critical discussion, and open further research directions related to expected added value, success factors, and barriers to success in implementing 5S projects within current I4.0 and future Industry 5.0 (I5.0) contexts.