Optimizing Information Flow in Manufacturing Operations Management Through Lean–Industry 4.0 Integration

Integrating Lean and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has been widely acknowledged as an effective approach to enhancing manufacturing operations. However, existing studies primarily focused on optimizing the material flow, leaving information flow—a critical aspect of modern manufacturing—unexplored. To fill this gap, this study presents a comprehensive framework that: 1) categorizes key forms of information flow waste in modern manufacturing and their impacts on material flow waste; 2) adapts Lean principles and practices for optimizing the information flow and identifies the main types of information flow waste they target; and 3) integrates these adapted Lean principles and practices with the I4.0 technologies for successful implementation. The framework is developed using a systematic bibliographic research approach, synthesizing 56 existing studies on Lean–I4.0 integration for information flow optimization. It allows manufacturing companies to more efficiently and effectively identify information flow issues and develop and implement targeted optimizations. The proposed framework is validated at an automotive parts manufacturer in China, where it identifies key inefficiencies in information flow and their impacts and provides targeted solutions by integrating Lean practices with I4.0 technologies.