An Industry 4.0 Maturity Model Proposal Based on Total Quality Management Principles: An Application to an Automotive Parts Manufacturer

This article aims to develop a total quality management (TQM)-based Industry 4.0 maturity model. The reviewed literature showed that there is no consensus on Industry 4.0 maturity modeling and models are insufficient in creating value-focused actions. About 49 recommended actions prepared by ISO (International Organization of Standardization) international experts (ISO/TC 176) that are published in ISO 9000:2015 are considered as variables of the proposed Industry 4.0 maturity model. According to this consideration, a prescriptive questionnaire was constructed with these variables via reviewing TQM/Quality and Industry 4.0 related literature. The proposed model was analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis and the final 32 variables (questions) were evaluated for model fit, reliability, and validity. Analyses were done with SPSS and AMOS software. The validated model was applied to a manufacturer located in Gaziantep/Türkiye to create a roadmap to the decision makers of the company. The analysis showed that the model based on indicated TQM actions proposed by ISO 9000:2015 is reliable and valid in the context of measuring Industry 4.0 maturity and can create effective transition road maps to stakeholders. This study includes a novel model which uses globally accepted ISO 9000:2015 recommended actions. Besides, the prescriptive structure of the constructed questionnaire is another originality. Organizations can use the proposed model as a guide for transition to Industry 4.0 in the context of TQM.