Total quality management 4.0: adapting quality management to Industry 4.0

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore the new concept of TQM 4.0 as a way of adapting quality management (QM) in Industry 4.0 (I4.0), guiding industries to this new phase, which has generated adaptations in numerous areas, one of which is QM and human resources.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the literature was carried out. Methodi Ordinatio was applied to build the portfolio of articles with scientific relevance, which is the source of data collections and content analysis. To help out in the analysis, NVivo 12 and VOSviewer software programs were used.

Findings

The results demonstrate that when adapting the QM to the technologies of I4.0, the result is an ecosystem that supports the integration between technology, quality and people in the industrial scenario.

Research limitations/implications

This article presents a systematic review of the literature, but without delving into specific issues such as the different industrial sectors and the culture of countries in which industries may be inserted, for example, which characterizes a limitation of this research.

Practical implications

This study provides an ecosystem model that can guide future research, regarding the concept of TQM 4.0, in addition to pointing out some ways of combining technologies, quality and people in the industrial context.

Originality/value

This is one of the first articles to employ a systematic review of the literature using Methodi Ordinatio to build a bibliographic panorama on the intertwining of the themes total QM (TQM) and I4.0, focusing on the emerging concept of TQM 4.0.

Citation

Souza, F.F.d., Corsi, A., Pagani, R.N., Balbinotti, G. and Kovaleski, J.L. (2022), "Total quality management 4.0: adapting quality management to Industry 4.0", The TQM Journal, Vol. 34 No. 4, pp. 749-769. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-10-2020-0238