Beyond “Industry 4.0": B2B factory networks as an alternative path towards the digital transformation of manufacturing and work

This article uses theoretical and empirical evidence of variations in digitalized manufacturing to revisit Piore Sabel's 1984 work on flexible specialization criticize the inherent one-sidedness Industry 4.0 discourse. is juxtaposed with findings platform-mediated business-to-business factory networks, which flexibility facilitated by digital interconnection a far-flung network small-scale manufacturers rather than sophisticated production technology. The effects are equivocal; they entail potential for craft-like skill-intensive paradigm that can upgrade work, but also race bottom price-sensitive industries.