Search

Industry 4.0 is often regarded from a perspective that focuses on a single enterprise rather than on entire supply chains or ecosystems. However, Industry 4.0, and especially its impact on business models, is to be analyzed especially within a supply chain or ecosystem in order to fully unfold its benefits. In response to this research gap, this paper analyzes an ecosystem within the German packaging machine industry. The paper investigates the business model of selected companies in order to understand the influence of Industry 4.0 on the basis of a qualitative study in the form of expert interviews with 18 companies. The results shed light on changes in companies’ business models of an entire ecosystem. After discussing theoretical and managerial implications, the paper provides suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within Industry 4.0, digital platforms are expected to bring potentials for a multitude of purposes. However, many industrial manufacturers expect challenges in creating and managing digital platforms. Owing to the lack of research, the paper investigates potentials and challenges of Industry 4.0 platforms and derives strategic implications. The sample comprises 102 German and Austrian industrial enterprises, which are examined qualitatively using in-depth expert interviews. The paper finds that, alongside economic benefits and a required legal and technical framework for digital platforms, social capital theory provides a valid perspective regarding potentials and challenges of Industry 4.0 platforms. Based on this information, strategies to successfully establish digital platforms within the concept of Industry 4.0 are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) poses several implications on manufacturers in terms of economic, ecological, and social aspects referring to the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) of sustainable value creation. Due to its technical core, current research focused on its technical fundamentals, whereas the economic discussion is still in its infancy. This article aims at painting a comprehensive and structured picture of IIoT-related economic, ecological, and social benefits and challenges. For this purpose, we employ an exploratory multiple case study approach based on semi-structured expert interviews in 46 manufacturing companies from three leading German industries. Our study contributes to the sparse body of scientific IIoT literature by analyzing the IIoT's implications according to the TBL. We show that, in order to qualify for sustainable industrial value creation, the IIoT requires an extension of the established TBL by three further dimensions, i.e., technical integration, data and information, and public context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) poses large impacts on business models (BM) of established manufacturing companies within several industries. Thus, this paper aims at analyzing the influence of the IIoT on these BMs with particular respect to differences and similarities dependent on varying industry sectors. For this purpose, we employ an exploratory multiple case study approach based on semi-structured expert interviews in 69 manufacturing companies from the five most important German industries. Owing the lack of previous research, our study contributes to the current state of management literature by revealing the following valuable insights with regard to industry-specific BM changes: The machine and plant engineering companies are mainly facing changing workforce qualifications, the electrical engineering and information and communication technology companies are particularly concerned with the importance of novel key partner networks, and automotive suppliers predominantly exploit IIoT-inherent benefits in terms of an increasing cost efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]