Digital technological upgrading in manufacturing global value chains

The impact of additive manufacturing

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4262843
AutoresJeremy Johns (0000-0003-4216-4858, School of Management University of Bristol Bristol UK, autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen22
Número4
Páginas649-665
Fecha de publicación2022-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaGlobal Networks (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1470-2266 • E-ISSN: 1471-0374
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/glob.12349
OpenAlexW4200339910
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas46

This article contributes to the burgeoning literature on digitalization and technological upgrading in global value chains (GVCs). It focuses on the adoption of additive manufacturing (AM)-a particular type of 'Industry 4.0' technology-by manufacturing GVCs and its impact on process and production upgrade. Drawing on extensive qualitative research in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, including 54 interviews and participant observation firms, it examines the AM industry and its adoption in manufacturing firms. The findings contribute to existing understandings of technological upgrading in GVCs by differentiating between different types of actors within GVCs, focusing on produce and process upgrading in lead firms and in original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and lower-tier suppliers. It finds that OEM and lower-tier firms are using AM to upgrade and capture value in different ways to lead firms, with implications for relationships between actors. The paper also highlights the sectoral variation in the adoption of AM and reflects on the contemporary and future role of this digital technology in manufacturing GVCs

Business · Commerce · Comparative advantage · Economics · Global value chain · Industrial organization · International trade · Manufacturing · Original equipment manufacturer · Upgrade · Computer Science · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Sustainable Supply Chain Management · Marketing