Reorganisation of Production Networks

In the project entitled "Industrial Internet Platforms, Restructuring of Production Networks, and Work in China and Germany", we investigated the reorganisation of production networks in China and in Germany through the "Internet of Things" (IoT) and digital platforms in the context of the “Made in China 2025” government strategy and the German concept of Industry 4.0. The goal was to identify characteristic pathways of digitalised manufacturing in both countries, and their impact on work and labor relations.

The qualitative research project addressed the following levels of analysis:

1. The identification of the main industrial internet platforms in each country, their business models and their relationship to customers with special focus on the origin, use, and control of data. The inquiry aimed to identify the role of industrial internet platform as actors in global production networks and asks whether these platforms are oligopolies-in-the making in the field of industry-related data.
    
2. The analysis of the impact of industrial internet platforms on the restructuring of industrial sectors through empirical studies on use cases in each country. Through case studies on companies from different sectors it will was explored how data-driven business models affect the governance of global value chains. The analysis further asked how this affects the possibilities for industrial upgrading and work.

Cooperation: The project is implemented in cooperation with Prof. Boy Lüthje at the Institute of Social Research in Frankfurt.
Duration: 1 January 2020 - 31 December 2021
Funding: Hans-Böckler-Foundation
Further Reading: Article on Chinese Consumer Good Industry by Lea Schneidemesser

Team

This research project was implemented within the research group "Working in Highly Automated Digital-Hybrid Processes". The project was led by Dr. Florian Butollo, and Lea Schneidemesser is a staff member.