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Who runs the show in digitalized manufacturing? Data, digital platforms and the restructuring of global value chains
Author(s) -
Butollo Florian,
Schneidemesser Lea
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
global networks
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.685
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1471-0374
pISSN - 1470-2266
DOI - 10.1111/glob.12366
Subject(s) - industrial organization , business , restructuring , business model , value capture , value (mathematics) , transaction cost , supply chain , database transaction , intermediary , commerce , transaction data , product (mathematics) , value chain , productivity , marketing , value creation , computer science , economics , database , geometry , mathematics , finance , machine learning , macroeconomics
This article explores the position of industrial Internet platforms (IIPs) in manufacturing value chains. We develop an understanding of the role of data in global value chains (GVCs), referring to literature on intangible assets and theories on platform business models. We use data from a qualitative empirical study based on 33 interviews on platforms active on the German market to answer (1) whether there are tendencies of oligopolization that lead to an accumulation of power on the side of the platforms, and (2) whether it is the platforms that capture most of the gains derived from higher productivity or lower transaction costs. The analysis shows that platforms mainly act as service providers and/or intermediaries that support manufacturing companies in reaping benefits from data. While the relationship between platforms and manufacturers currently corresponds to a symbiosis, a stronger power imbalance could evolve in the future since processes of oligopolization are likely.