This paper provides a literature review on zero defect manufacturing based on the content analysis performed for 280 research articles published from 1987 to 2018 in a variety of academic journals and conference proceedings. The review summarises the state-of-the-art, highlights shortcomings and further directions in research. Accordingly, we investigated how zero defect manufacturing was implemented and evaluated the main research patterns in the sample by analysing key factors. Based on the extensive review of the zero defect manufacturing literature, we identified and highlighted four distinctive strategies based on overarching themes for zero defect manufacturing, i.e. detection, repair, prediction, and prevention. Evaluation of current research and descriptive analysis highlighted six major shortcomings of current research in zero defect manufacturing: (i) focus on a single strategy instead of a holistic approach for global optima; (ii) certain industries are under-researched; (iii) full potential of industry-academia collaboration is not achieved; (iv) not enough focus on the beginning of manufacturing lifecycle; (v) cost–benefit comparative analysis is not evident; (vi) standard and clear definition of terms are missing. Finally, we presented four further directions in which an advance of the topic would stimulate scholarly and practical needs: (i) shift from local to global solutions; (ii) investigate pros and cons; (iii) role of people and human activities in manufacturing; (iv) new business models for zero defect manufacturing.

For manufacturing companies, quality management is a key feature for increasing the competitiveness, productivity, profitability, and sustainability of their systems. Quality improvement (QI) methods aim to achieve high-quality parts without reducing performance. The Industry 4.0 framework brought technological developments that cannot be used by traditional QI methods, such as Six Sigma, Lean, Lean Six, the Theory of Constraints, and Total Quality Management, which are widely used in manufacturing companies. The need for higher manufacturing sustainability and market requirements has led to the search for alternative QI methods with superior performance to traditional QI methods such as Zero-Defect Manufacturing (ZDM). The current paper is a position paper with a goal to present the ZDM approach and providing a clear definition about ZDM to align everyone in one common understanding of ZDM. Many researchers and manufactures are skeptical about ZDM, therefore, numerous argumentative questions have been created and answered, to convince them why they should migrate from traditional QI methods to ZDM. The migration to ZDM has already started, to support this statement numerous facts from the literature have been presented. Finally, several directions were identified, demonstrating that there is still plenty of room for research in several domains.

The primary aim of this study is to explore and understand the potential benefits and applications of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) system within the modern manufacturing industry. To achieve this, we developed a unique methodology, model, and a template for creating a DPP, identifying the key characteristics essential for effective implementation. Our approach involved an analysis of the literature and the formulation of a unified DPP framework, tailored to enhance supply chain transparency and support sustainable manufacturing practices. The empirical findings from our research demonstrate the DPP’s impact on supply chain transparency, providing crucial product lifecycle information that bolsters decision-making and facilitates optimal resource management. Additionally, our study suggests that the DPP model, when applied to sectors such as electronics manufacturing, promises transformative results. This research underpins the pivotal role of DPPs in the future of manufacturing, highlighting their potential to catalyze a shift towards greater transparency and sustainability. Actionable guidelines are provided for manufacturers considering the adoption of this innovative system.

In the competitive market of manufacturing, quality is a criterion of primary importance in order to win market share. Quality improvement must be coupled with performance point of view. Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, Theory of Constraints, and their combination are philosophies dedicated to this goal. This study is a literature review on the implementation of these philosophies to improve quality of processes and products in a system, and also covers the commonalities and differences with Zero Defect Manufacturing (ZDM) philosophy. In this study, 45 articles have been analyzed. These articles have been selected by a research on several scientific libraries with specific keywords. The methodology is based on a list of information extracted from each paper. The data searched are on the tool selections, critical factors of implementations and the benefits obtained from them. Based on the review and analysis of the literature and practices, we provide the top 10 main components of the tools used for quality improvement, enabling factors, benefits, and barriers to implementation. Moreover, we present and discuss categorization of quality improvement methods and the way toward ZDM. The need of standardized toolkits for different levels of maturity in quality management systems and a better education have been enlightened. Thanks to technological improvement in information flow management, ZDM seems close to be achieved even though some new risks and wastes have to be taken care of within the implementation.