A Multi-Case Study of Business Innovation Models for Manufacturing Capacity Sharing Platforms, Based on a Resource Orchestration Perspective

Abstract

The sharing economy and the manufacturing industry are integrating and promoting the transformation of the manufacturing industry. However, scholars have not yet conducted many studies about this area. This paper selects four typical cases of platform-based business innovation as research objects to reveal the mechanism of digital technology, resource orchestration and platform-based business model innovation. The study found that the four types of capacity-sharing business model innovations were achieved by manufacturing enterprises using digital technology and adopting specific resource orchestration to promote the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. The perspective of digital technology empowerment and resource orchestration can provide insights to achieve a match between digital technology, resource orchestration strategies and business model innovation, and to provide insights to engineering managers in manufacturing companies.

Keywords:

• Sharing Economy
• Capacity Sharing
• Resource Orchestration
• Business Innovation

EMJ Focus Areas:

• Organization Development & Change
• Program & Project Management
• Strategic Management
• Technology Management

Additional Information

This paper contributes to examine four manufacturing capacity sharing platform cases through a multi-case investigation and analysis method. Through case studies and discussions, it is found that they adopt different resource orchestration strategies to reveal the mechanisms of the business innovation models of intermediary, crowdsourcing, service and collaborative capacity sharing platforms.

An Engineering Manager who work in a manufacturing enterprise can use this paper to choose the appropriate strategies and business innovation models. Through the selection, the enterprise where the engineering manager work can apply digital technology to realize the change of enterprise organizational form and business philosophy. By cooperating with other enterprises, manufacturing enterprises carry out production capacity sharing business to achieve business model innovation and the improvement of enterprise competitiveness.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Funded Project of Hebei Provincial Natural Science Foundation: Research on Blockchain-driven Credit Evolution Mechanism of Supply Chain Finance and Improving Financing Efficiency of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (Project Code:G2021209002).

Notes on contributors

Yongmin Lin

Yongmin Lin (Born in 1972. Undergraduate study in Hebei Institute of Architecture and Engineering. Graduate study in Beijing Jiaotong University. PhD study at Renmin University of China. Associate Professor, School of Management, North China University of Science and Technology. Research direction is information technology and system management.)

Xin Zhao

Xin Zhao (Born in 1997. Undergraduate degree at Wuhan University of Technology. Graduate student in North China University of Science and Technology, majoring in engineering management, the research direction is information in system management.)

Lin Chen

Lin Chen (Born in the year of 2000. Bachelor degree in North China University of Science and Technology, majoring in engineering management.)