Innovating for impact: Proposing quality 4.0 integration to achieve sustainable development goals in microenterprises

Abstract

In today's highly competitive global market, companies aim to improve their market position to ensure their competitiveness and survival. The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies constitutes a good approach to enhancing processes and productivity while maintaining high-quality standards. This is where Quality 4.0 becomes crucial, as it focuses on boosting the quality of organisational processes through the integration of disruptive technologies from Industry 4.0. Furthermore, companies are prioritising implementing environmentally friendly practices in their processes that support sustainable development. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate how the application of Quality 4.0 can ease production improvements with minimal environmental impact while also aligning with sustainable development goals. This article analyses how these initiatives can be used within the food industry, specifically those dedicated to the production and sale of a product, evaluating a microenterprise dedicated to the production of artisanal ice cream. A comprehensive framework is proposed for the adoption of Quality 4.0 and its potential to support sustainable development goals. Using the PDCA cycle, the original situation is evaluated to later recommend strategies and tools to create improvements in the enterprise.