Operational capabilities of firms in sustainable digital manufacturing ecosystems of the future

Intense competitive pressures are driving collaborations among manufacturing firms to become productive and sustainable. Industrial digital technologies (IDTs) are enabling these collaborations and shaping the evolution of digital manufacturing ecosystems. However, to date, the adoption of these technologies has been limited to large firms. SMEs are at adisadvantage because of a lack of vision, resources, and capabilities to adopt IDTs. In this study, we use scenario development methodology to identify four future scenarios of digital manufacturing ecosystems, of which Sustainable Champion is one. We then identify the operational capabilities needed by firms to succeed in the Sustainability Champion scenario.