Performance returns from aligning front-end digital technologies and Just-in-Time practices: empirical findings from the Brazilian manufacturing industry

Mateus do Rego Ferreira Lima, PhD, MEng. is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management at Indiana University, Indianapolis – Kelley School of Business. He holds a PhD in Operations and Business Analytics from The Ohio State University – Fisher College of Business, and a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree in Industrial Engineering at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. His research investigates the use of the use of technology and behavioral aspects for improved decision-making, with an extensive focus on maintenance operations. His research has been published in the Decision Sciences Journal.

Cíntia Wilke Franco, PhD, is a Postdoctoral at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale – DIG) at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil. She is a member of the Organizational Engineering Group (NEO – Núcleo de Engenharia Organizacional), at UFRGS. Her research concerns operations management emphasizing supply chain management, supply chain integration, digital transformation, and Industry 4.0.

Guilherme Brittes Benitez, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Industrial and Systems Engineering Graduate Program of the Polytechnic School, Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR). At PUCPR, he is the Director of the Group on Operations, Products, and Digital Strategies (GOPED – Grupo de Operações, Produtos e Estratégias Digitais). He is also a Research Fellow at the Organizational Engineering Group (NEO – Núcleo de Engenharia Organizacional), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), in Brazil. In addition, he has been a visiting scholar at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He holds a PhD degree in Industrial Engineering from UFRGS. His research is devoted to the interface between operations and technology management with emphasis on digital transformation and Industry 4.0, product and service development, supply chain management, platforms, startups, and innovation ecosystems.