Digitalization and green transition are increasingly critical trends in the global economic and social development. In this context, the concept of “twin transition” has emerged, emphasizing the integration of digital and green development. Industrial internet platforms, with their inherent strengths in data integration, resource optimization, and cross-industry collaboration, are closely aligned with the objectives of coordinated digital and green development, positioning them as critical enablers for enterprises undergoing twin transitions. The extent to which enterprises engage with platforms directly impacts the effectiveness of their twin transition process. However, current research only focuses on isolated effects of digital or green transition and relies on static indicators, leaving gaps in understanding the dynamic evolution of digital-green coordination and how platform-participatory manufacturing enterprises utilize industrial internet platforms to drive twin transition.
This study, rooted in digital ecosystem theory, employs a longitudinal multi-case study approach, selecting Weihai Baowei New Materials on the Uniorange platform, Guangshan Cement on the Tianxin platform, and Yuyao Lingke on the Geega platform as case examples. These platforms differ in terms of their types and technical characteristics, while the case companies vary in size and belong to different industry sectors, each exhibiting distinct advancements. As a result, these cases provide a comparative and dynamic framework for analyzing the internal processes through which industrial internet platforms empower participating manufacturing enterprises to achieve twin transitions. By integrating time-series analysis and case-based coding, this study outlines the stage-specific characteristics of industrial internet platforms in supporting platform-participatory manufacturing enterprises through their twin transition. It further identifies the action paths and process models associated with the digital-green coordination in each stage of platform use.
The findings suggest that the twin transition of platform-participatory manufacturing enterprises occurs in three distinct stages: (1) digital-green technology application, (2) digital-green collaborative advancement, and (3) digital-green symbiotic innovation. The level of digital-green synergy facilitated by industrial internet platforms plays a critical role in determining whether enterprises can progress to the next stage, creating a progressive relationship that evolves from initial, surface-level implementation to deeper, more integrated practices. Two key evolutionary paths are identified in the transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2: enhancing big data processing capabilities and strengthening supply chain cooperation. In the progression from Stage 2 to Stage 3, the paths include improving the platform's innovation and reconstruction capabilities, as well as enhancing its integration and innovation capabilities. At different stages, the digital transition manifests as a sequence of changes: from digital renovation to online networking, and ultimately to comprehensive intelligentization. Meanwhile, the green transition advances through a process of high-efficiency resource utilization, green process optimization, and organizational greening. Internally, the technological features of industrial internet platforms provide a foundation for enabling these transitions. Enterprises exhibit differential characteristics in their platform usage at various stages, leading to the formation of unique chaining capabilities that contribute to the development of a collaborative ecosystem.
This paper introduces a three-stage process model for the role of industrial internet platforms in empowering manufacturing enterprises for twin transition. It offers a new theoretical framework for understanding the dynamic nature of platform empowerment, shifting research from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more nuanced, stage-specific qualitative and quantitative evaluation. Additionally, it bridges the gap between technical structure perspectives and process-oriented views in digital platform ecosystem studies, highlighting the influence of platform application stages on enterprises’ chaining capabilities and the role of these capabilities in fostering ecological synergies. In addition, it proposes practical pathways for guiding the phased evolution of twin transitions, enriching the application of value co-creation theory in this field. Finally, the study suggests that platform-participatory enterprises should build their capabilities in phases, tailored to the specific stage of digital and green twin transition they are in; and platform companies should provide differentiated empowerment services based on the needs of enterprises at different stages. While the government should establish dedicated funds to support digital and green twin transitions, promote the implementation of industrial internet platforms across industries and regions, support the development of industrial data standards, and advocate for the open and unified protocols of industrial equipment and industrial software interfaces.
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