Research report: Digital sustainability enabling lean manufacturing tools for total productive maintenance in advanced manufacturing systems

Digital sustainability—the integration of digital technologies with environmentally and operationally responsible practices—appears to strengthen the lean manufacturing tools that keep advanced factories running, according to a new open-access study published in Discover Sustainability on 8 September 2026. To test these relationships, the team surveyed 834 employees of Mexican manufacturing companies and analyzed the responses with a structural equation model estimated using nonlinear partial least squares in WarpPLS v.8. The model proposed three parallel mediation effects, in which the three lean tools act as channels through which digital sustainability influences TPM.

The results showed a strong and remarkably balanced effect of digital sustainability on all three lean tools, with path coefficients of approximately 0.58 in each case. The overall model explained 61.7% of the variance in TPM, a substantial share for research of this kind, suggesting that digital sustainability and lean tools together account for much of what drives maintenance performance in advanced manufacturing systems. Beyond the linear effects, the analysis uncovered nonlinear patterns that complicate any simple prescription.

Kanban displayed increasing returns, meaning its contribution to TPM grew as implementation deepened. Jidoka showed saturation, with benefits leveling off at higher levels of implementation. Andon exhibited what the authors describe as implementation valleys, periods during which performance may dip before improving as the system matures.

Mediation analysis confirmed complementary partial mediation, with a variance accounted for (VAF) value of 61.2%. This indicates that a majority of the effect of digital sustainability on TPM flows through the three lean tools, while a remaining direct effect also operates. In other words, digital sustainability supports maintenance both by empowering lean mechanisms and through other pathways not captured by the model.

The authors interpret these findings as empirical support for viewing digital sustainability as a dynamic capability—a capacity to reconfigure resources and processes—linked to lean operational mechanisms rather than as a purely technological or environmental initiative. For practitioners, the study offers pragmatic guidance on sequencing digital investments. Because the three tools respond differently as implementation intensifies, managers may need to anticipate diminishing gains in Jidoka, plan for temporary dips when deploying Andon, and expect compounding benefits from sustained Kanban adoption.

The findings are based on self-reported survey data from employees in Mexican manufacturing firms, so the results reflect perceptions within that population and context, and the article was released as an early citable version subject to further editorial refinement.

Subject of Research: Digital sustainability enabling lean manufacturing tools for total productive maintenance in advanced manufacturing systems

Article Title: Digital sustainability enabling lean manufacturing tools for total productive maintenance in advanced manufacturing systems

Article References: Alcaraz, J. L. G., Limon-Romero, J., Baez-Lopez, Y., Aryanfar, Y., Barragán, A. J., & Cruz-Alvarez, J. G. (2026). Digital sustainability enabling lean manufacturing tools for total productive maintenance in advanced manufacturing systems. Discover Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04571-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43621-026-04571-1

Keywords: Digital, sustainability, enabling, lean, manufacturing, tools, total, productive, maintenance, advanced, systems, scientific research