Medium-Sized Businesses and Cooperations

Building a global hydrogen economy requires more than technology and investment; it requires trust. As information systems (IS) increasingly mediate collaboration among unfamiliar, distributed actors, the question of how trust can be deliberately built becomes critical. This study systematically maps how IS enable different types of trust and reveals how these mechanisms can support trusting collaboration in emerging hydrogen value chains.

Assessing the impact of digital industrial platforms on the dynamics and resilience of supply chains requires clear classification of such platforms. This article examines the extent to which a current classification proposal from the field of supply chain management must be further developed in the context of digital platforms for implementing the circular economy (CE). The authors conclude that a fundamental revision is not necessary, as the digital CE platforms under consideration fit well into the existing classification system. However, new research questions arise regarding the distinction between digital service platforms and digital data-oriented platforms, as well as the link between the circular economy and supply chain management—particularly in connection with supply chain control towers, which are becoming increasingly established in supply chain management practice.

Digital twins are frequently referred to as a promising approach for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in industrial production; however, robust empirical evidence of their benefits under real-world conditions is largely lacking. In this case study, the emission reduction potential of a digital twin—as a conceptually described target system—is quantified ex-ante via the example of a test bench for hydraulic pumps. To this end, the GHG emissions of the original test plan for the year 2025 are determined based on actual measured energy consumption of the tested pumps and time-resolved grid electricity emission intensities. This is followed by a rule-based rescheduling, in which energy-intensive test processes are shifted to time intervals with lower emissions. The rescheduling takes operational constraints into account so that processes and equipment remain unchanged. The savings potential is determined by comparing the GHG emissions of the reference and the optimized case.

The rehumanization of industrial work has emerged as a key focus in Industry 4.0 research, emphasizing the empowerment of human workers amidst advancing automation. Within this re-search, supporting workers with disabilities through digital assistance technologies serves as a prime example of a human-centric approach to industrial engineering. These technologies often claim to enhance productivity, which aims to promote the integration of workers with disabili-ties in industrial roles. But can they genuinely improve their work experience? This ethnograph-ic study presents insights from two years of developing and deploying augmented reality in a sheltered woodworking workshop. Over this period, we engaged in conversations and facilitat-ed over 30 technology sessions with workers with diverse disabilities. Our experiences chal-lenge the narrative of industrial research, in particular with digital instructional systems serving as “enabler technology” to help them work “better.” ...