Lean Manufacturing Goes Digital with CNC Automation
Hakan Aydoğdu, CEO at CNC automation specialist Tezmaksan Robot Technologies, explains how SMEs can merge lean manufacturing with CNC automation to boost efficiency, reduce emissions, and address labour shortages.
www.tezmaksan.com
Are manufacturers facing an efficiency crisis? With rising costs and environmental pressures, waste on the shop floor only worsens the challenge. Indeed, Forbes estimates that 75 to 95 per cent of manufacturing processes add no value — underscoring the urgent need for change.
Introduced by Toyota in the 1950s through its Production System (TPS), lean manufacturing offers a structured way to boost efficiency by cutting waste and continuously improving operations. Core practices like Just-in-Time (JIT), Jidoka (automation with a human touch), and Kaizen have long guided production — yet applying them directly remains challenging, and those challenges are growing.
One of these worsening barriers is the skills shortage in modern manufacturing — a lack of qualified workers with the technical and digital skills needed to operate advanced machinery and automation. Another problem is outdated tools or manual processes that are incompatible with Industry 4.0.
These challenges are felt especially by small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMEs) that, along with micro-sized enterprises, account for 90 per cent of all businesses worldwide according to McKinsey and Company. SMEs, of course, lack the budgets and resources of larger manufacturers, so are more reliant on outdated legacy equipment and the dwindling pool of skilled CNC operators and welders.
So, how can manufacturers overcome these limitations that hinder the adoption of lean strategies?The good news is that lean manufacturing concepts are well-suited to the latest automated and digital technologies — at its core, lean manufacturing is about analysing and understanding processes and redesigning them for maximum efficiency.
This opens great potential for manufacturers to combine lean practices with digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. Let’s look at an example.
Lean manufacturing in the digital age
Schneider Electric’s Wuxi factory, has been named a Sustainability Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which recognises pioneering uses of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing. The facility applies lean manufacturing through real-time energy monitoring, predictive maintenance powered by machine learning and electrified heating. Enhanced by AI-based energy optimisation and closed-loop CO2 tracking, the efforts have resulted in a 90 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
That is just one example of how digital tools can drive substantial carbon reductions in manufacturing. Large manufacturers like BMW and Nestlé are also combining lean practices with digital technologies — and a further example of these practices is offered by Tezmaksan’s own next-generation factory in Sivas, Turkey.
Tezmaksan’s €15 million factory was built in line with the European Green Deal — policies aiming to make the European Union climate neutral by 2050. As an SME itself, the Sivas facility demonstrates companies — whatever their size — can combine industrial robotics and lean manufacturing techniques to support high-efficiency production and also acts as a hub for research in quantum computing and Industry 4.0.
Key technologies in the facility include Tezmaksan’s CubeBOX, an automated robot cell that enables continuous, unmanned operation for any CNC machine. Designed for low-volume, high-mix production, it automates repetitive tasks and supports 24/7 lights-out manufacturing. This increases machine utilisation, reduces downtime and boosts night shift productivity by up to 50 per cent.
Where lean thinking meets smart software
The final ingredient in combining lean practices with digital technologies is with software. The CubeBOX integrates with Kapasitematik software to deliver real-time insights, enabling data-driven decisions that reduce inefficiencies and streamline workflows.
More recently, CubeBOX has been enhanced with RoboCAM+ software, which acts as a central control system, coordinating communication between the robot, CNC machine, and software. Based on a structured transaction model similar to blockchain, RoboCAM+ streamlines operations by managing tool data, workpiece tracking and process sequencing — transforming lean thinking into lean practice.
As manufacturers confront rising costs, labour shortages and sustainability pressures, the principles of lean manufacturing remain as relevant as ever — but now with a digital edge. By integrating automation and data-driven tools, even smaller firms can reimagine production for greater efficiency and resilience. The path to smarter, greener manufacturing is not just aspirational; it’s increasingly practical.
www.tezmaksan.com
