Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management | 2026
Authors: Yamamoto Y.; Munoz-Aranda A.; Sandström K.
DOI: 10.3926/jiem.7684
Journal: Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management
Year: 2026
Publisher: OmniaScience
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access
Cited by: 0
Purpose: This study aims to understand the potential and challenges of incorporating low-cost automation (LCA) in the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) within the context of Industry 4.0 implementation and to examine their implications for factory employee empowerment. Design/methodology/approach: Multiple case studies were conducted with industrial companies located in Sweden. Relevant empirical evidence was collected from the workshops where factory employees explored and prototyped simple IoT solutions to improve their work environments. Findings: The study revealed multiple benefits of LCA incorporation, including enhancing factory employees’ knowledge, skills, and motivation for improvement. The compatibility of LCA with Lean production was also found to be positive for the employees. However, the study also identified several challenges, mainly concerning establishing organisational preconditions that enable or facilitate the incorporation, such as its strategic alignment and securing managers’ understanding and support. The study identified tensions between simple IoT solutions and large integrated solutions, which affect empowerment. Managing these tensions was found particularly challenging. Originality/value: This paper provides deeper understanding of the potential and limitations of incorporating LCA into IoT adoption than previous studies. It highlights the potential of a bottom-up approach to IoT adoption, which is currently dominated by top-down, engineering-driven approaches. © 2026, OmniaScience. All rights reserved.
co-design; employee empowerment; industry 4.0; internet of things; lean production; low-cost automation