A New Model for Quality 4.0

Traditionally, efforts to ensure quality were grounded in a rigorous industrial engineering approach. However, there has been a dramatic shift on how manufacturing is carried out, due to the disruption inherent in Industry 4.0. The traditional methods of managing quality are not flexible enough to cope with the pace of change in modern manufacturing and the Factories of the Future. Discourse around modern quality management primarily focuses on the new digital tools available under Industry 4.0. Digital tools, in of themselves, will not address the complexity of the quality management problem. A new model for Quality 4.0 is required. In this research, a literature review was completed to investigate how quality is being managed in the era of Industry 4.0. A new model for Quality 4.0 is proposed based on the findings. The model has at its foundation three pillars of Process, Human, and Technology. The model integrates these pillars within the traditional rigorous industrial engineering approach and systems for quality management, which include Quality Management Systems, Total Quality Management, and Measurement and Analysis. The impact of this research is a generalizable model for real-world quality systems fit for the future. The model highlights the digitalization skills and quality structures required for a flexible data-driven modern Quality 4.0 system.