Smart Glocal Production – An Assessment Approach for the Readiness Level of Manufacturing Companies

Abstract

Current challenges such as climate change, the limits of natural resources, and increasing customer-specific sustainability demands require a transformation of value creation. The aim is to move from global sourcing to more local value creation by creating synergistic energy and circular material flows and making better use of capacities while taking urban structures into account.This paper discusses an approach of Smart Glocal Production that combines spatially networked production in global enterprise networks. Based on a literature review, examples of Smart Glocal Production in Germany and Austria are presented. The core of the paper is a novel assessment approach for manufacturing companies to determine their readiness level for glocal production. On this basis, smart measures can be derived with special consideration of digitization initiatives to support manufacturing companies on their way to a more sustainable value creation in industrial areas.