Lean or agile, take your pick. It seems like it was always one or the other, but never both. Not anymore.

The unpredictability of the Covid years changed the ways that manufacturers approach supply chain management. Where once the focus was on lean manufacturing, recent volatility has made demand impossible to predict, with existing supply chain processes unable to support the change. Materials shortages have been a real challenge. And so an agile supply chain has become essential to keep manufacturing processes flowing – and to stay competitive.

What’s the best way to achieve the transformation to a lean and agile manufacturing hybrid? A migration to Smart Manufacturing digital processes, aka Industry 4.0.