Abstract

This research employs an extensive multiple case studies analysis to identify the most important business models affecting supply chain configurations and related enabling technologies towards the creation of collaborative networks. The results obtained from the investigation of 24 companies of manufacturing and process industry, informed by literature, identify four ‘design principles’ of business models, i.e. Personalized production, Servitization, Decentralized and modular production, and Recycle, Re-use and Sustainability. Each model is further described and discussed at the interplay between digitalization and collaborative network practices at supply chain level, showing that adopting one or a combination of the four design principles allows to actuate some of the most important features of collaboration like Vertical integration or networking of smart production systems, Horizontal integration through global value chain networks, Through-engineering across the entire value chain, Acceleration of manufacturing and Digitalization of products and services.

Highlights

  • According to the depicted context, the aim of this study is to investigate the enabling technologies and main practices fostering collaboration at supply chain level, basing on the exploration of current practices of companies at the intersection of digitalization and collaborative networks

  • This section includes the description of main features, involved value chain actors, type of collaborations and enabling technologies to activate each design principle of business model emerging from the analysis of the cases and the current trends in manufacturing and process industry

  • A further analysis of the results, building on the work by [2], allowed to identify how the digital technologies adopted in the implementation of the four models enable the key features of collaborative models at the interplay with digitalization, i.e. Vertical integration or networking of smart production systems, Horizontal integration through global value chain networks, Through-engineering across the entire value chain, Acceleration of manufacturing and Digitalization of products and services

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Summary

Introduction

Companies need to promote an efficient and sustainable production of high added value goods to remain competitive in global markets and respond to the demanding requirements of consumers [1]. The market dynamics require companies to adapt their business and links within the existing supply chains towards new reconfigured network collaborations and business models that shift from cost competitiveness to cooperative efforts for a higher added value and competitiveness of the supply chain as a whole [2,3] Along with this line, a greater vertical and horizontal integration between the involved actors should favor flexible, collaborative and interconnected networks of factories able to manage shorter cycles life of products while maintaining high levels of quality and resource efficiency [4]. A greater vertical and horizontal integration between the involved actors should favor flexible, collaborative and interconnected networks of factories able to manage shorter cycles life of products while maintaining high levels of quality and resource efficiency [4] Within this context, the digital technologies play a key role in enhancing the collaboration at value chain level and the integration of manufacturing and process sectors by improving flexibility and delivery of added value [4,5]. Companies are still struggling to leverage or react to the shifts characterizing the actual competitive landscape and the way they do their business, and further research is required

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