Integrating Industry 4.0 Technologies into 8D Methodologies: A Case Study in the Automotive Industry

This paper presents the application of the 8D method to a case study in the automotive industry, combined with the development of a pilot framework that integrates Industry 4.0 technologies—Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced IT tools. Unlike traditional 8D implementations, the proposed solution introduces several innovations: (i) AI-based complaint analysis with automated keyword detection and classification and localization of batches in the warehouses achieving a 100% accuracy rate in categorizing root causes; (ii) IoT-enabled non-invasive monitoring of production parameters for tests and logs, reducing fault rate to 0 for current case study; (iii) digital cataloging and storage of corrective and preventive actions, improving retrieval speed of past solutions by 300 times (from 300 min to less than 1 min); and (iv) automated reporting tools, cutting the report preparation time from hours to minutes. Through these contributions, the system enhances both responsiveness and prevention, leading to an observed 100% reduction in fault recurrence associated with current case study and an estimated 75% decrease in customer complaints regarding defects occurring throughout the production sector where the pilot was implemented. In addition to the practical improvements, this work extends the literature on digitalized quality management by demonstrating how the 8D methodology can be effectively re-engineered with Industry 4.0 components. Comparative analysis against the enterprise’s conventional 8D system and against recent alternative approaches confirms that our framework provides measurable benefits in the speed, accuracy, and sustainability of problem-solving processes.