Service operations now comprise more than 80% of the GDP in the United States and are rapidly growing around the world. The cost to maintain and service an application is typically more than the initial purchase price. The revenue growth potential of improving the speed and quality of service often overshadows the cost reduction opportunities. The Lean Six Sigma approach is a popular methodology to improve the business opportunities in customer satisfaction, cost and process speed for manufacturing. In this study, we attempt to extend the Lean Six Sigma approach to a broader application in the service industry and integrate TRIZ methodology to enhance the traditional techniques of Lean Six Sigma. Theoria Resheneyva Isobretatelskehuh Zadach (TRIZ) is an effective method for analysing customer needs and developing innovative solutions to meet those needs. A sample problem of the banking service is used to demonstrate how TRIZ can be applied to a real-world problem while in a Lean Six Sigma DMAIC process. The results show that the application of Lean Six Sigma methodology with TRIZ performs effectively in the improvement of banking services.

Background: Exploring the impact of combining Industry 4.0 technologies and Lean Manufacturing tools on organizational performance has been a popular topic in recent years. Design/Methodology/Approach: We propose a novel Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing System (SSMS) to provide management insights related to social impact, economic performance, and environmental impact. Some tools called Dynamic Lean 4.0 tools, such as Sustainable Value Steam Mapping (VSM), Extended Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED), and Digital Poka-Yoke, are presented as outputs of synergistic relationships that optimize production processes. Originality/Research gap: There are few studies on the application of SSMS. This work presents a case study, aiming to fill this gap. A case study of vacuum degassing equipment fabrication is presented to demonstrate the improvement of utilizing the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) method with Digital Poka-Yoke. Key statistical results: The implementation of this project increased the process capability index, Cpk, from 1.278 to 2. Practical Implications: It was concluded that the company successfully implemented a smart and sustainable manufacturing system, and created a safer working environment and new job opportunities, while increasing production yield from 99.44% to 100%, improving worker utilization, and directly saving NT$68,000. Limitations of the investigation: This paper is the use of a single case study. More applications of Dynamic Lean 4.0 tools in SSMS should be explored.