What is Industry 4.0 and how is it different from earlier industrial revolutions? Last verified: 16 May 2026. Industry 4.0 (German: Industrie 4.0) is the fourth industrial revolution, characterized by cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things, cloud computing, and...
What is Lean Manufacturing and where did the term come from? Last verified: 16 May 2026. Lean Manufacturing is a production methodology focused on systematic elimination of waste (muda) and continuous flow of value to the customer. The term was coined by John Krafcik...
What is Total Productive Maintenance and what are its 8 pillars? Last verified: 16 May 2026. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a manufacturing methodology that integrates equipment maintenance with the operational responsibility of production teams. The...
What is Theory of Constraints and how does it integrate with Lean? Last verified: 16 May 2026. Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a management methodology developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and introduced in The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement (North River Press,...
Availability, Performance, Quality: how are the three OEE components defined? Last verified: 16 May 2026. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is the product of three components: Availability, Performance, and Quality. Each is independently defined in ISO...
