In recent years, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has been a recurrent theme in the literature on Lean Six Sigma (LSS), given the synergies that can arise from their combination. However, their joint implementation presents several challenges. In this article, a systematic literature review (SLR) of research on I4.0 and LSS integration was performed. This review involved five database platforms and included seventy-four articles providing state-of-the-art knowledge on the topic, focusing on the barriers to and enablers of integration. As a result, 20 integration barriers were identified, highlighting the high implementation cost, long learning curve, and technology incompatibility as the main barriers. Seventeen enablers were found to facilitate and guarantee implementation success, highlighting investment in IT infrastructure and employee training, stakeholder involvement, and top management support. In addition, the article discusses actions to facilitate I4.0 and LSS integration in practice, determined by connecting the identified enablers to their corresponding barriers. Finally, the SLR identifies several avenues for future research.

The Lean Six Sigma (LSS) philosophy and sustainability have become topics of interest since the 1990s; they have generally been analyzed together since 2012. Numerous professionals, managers, and researchers have sought methodologies by which to assess their impact and know their effectiveness within companies. During the past decade, the application of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has been widely accepted in various modeling, prediction, or multivariate analyses as a way to measure the impact of LSS on sustainability. This study conducts a literature review to identify the use of PLS-SEM in measuring the impact of LSS on sustainability. A systematic review methodology has been employed, applying five search criteria to three scientific database platforms. This approach has been helpful to identify PLS-SEM as a valuable methodology for measuring the impact of LSS on sustainability. One of the research findings is that LSS practices positively impact 83% of economic indicators, 78% of environmental indicators, and 70% of social indicators. This article creates a theoretical foundation for future research on these issues, outlining research opportunities to generate future studies. It also allows researchers and managers who are interested in improving sustainability indicators to access valuable knowledge regarding what types of LSS tools could be used.

Nowadays, the implementation of the overall equipment efficiency indicator or better known as OEE for its acronym in English, in a balanced feed production company located in the city of Durán near Guayaquil-Ecuador, presented nonconformities in the results generated by the same due to the low accuracy of the data collected to obtain the indicator. The objective of this research is to increase the accuracy in the calculation of the indicator by identifying the root causes of the problem. To do this, the DMAIC methodology is used, consisting of 5 steps that are: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. The solutions focused in a general way on the development of the knowledge of the TPM methodology and its metrics by training the personnel involved in the productive and administrative processes in order to guarantee the understanding of the methodology, the improvement of the formats used by the company and the tool used to calculate the indicator. With all the solutions implemented, the accuracy of the indicator calculation increased by 27%.

Purpose: This study aims to determine how shrimp farms perceive the service of a shrimp feed company by assessing the impact of service quality and price fairness on customer satisfaction and loyalty in a business-to-business industry. Design/methodology/approach: The research utilised the Servperf questionnaire on 193 shrimp producers who have commercial relationships with the shrimp feed company evaluated. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was employed to identify direct and indirect relationships between the variables using SmartPLS 4.0. An importance-performance map analysis also provided practical insights for top management. Findings: The results show that only the dimensions of reliability and assurance significantly influence customer satisfaction. Also, customer satisfaction has a strong relationship with customer loyalty. Moreover, price fairness is the only predictor that can influence customer loyalty directly and indirectly via customer satisfaction. Practical implications: The current study’s results provide valuable information for managers in the shrimp feed industry. These findings assist managers in developing tailored marketing strategies to deliver commercial benefits and suggest enhancing customer satisfaction to foster greater loyalty to their products and services. Originality/value: This study focuses on specific business-to-business companies, particularly in developing countries, such as the shrimp feed company. Most existing research predominantly addresses business-to-consumer sectors. Furthermore, this research also tests the predictive relevance of a model. The balance between explanation and prediction is relevant for developing managerial recommendations.

The following work aims to propose a business diagnostic model for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), based on the financial situation of the company and the probability of developing knowledge absorption capacity. The analysis was done considering a sample of 20 companies from the pharmaceutical industry of the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador and developing a logit model as a statistical tool. The results suggest that the level of equity or capital that companies have is not significant in the probability of developing knowledge absorption capacity.