The influence of Industry 4.0 narratives on regional path development

Industry 4.0 has become a key concept and buzzword in the global manufacturing industry. This paper argues that the concept has created an Industry 4.0 narrative that is having a decisive impact on the industry. The paper combines the literatures on the sociology of expectations and regional path development to develop an analytical framework which is employed in an analysis of the Raufoss region in Norway. We find that the expectations created by the global Industry 4.0 narrative have trickled down into national industry and innovation policies. This has resulted in the anchoring of innovation schemes, development of new educational provisions and generated technological capability building among manufacturers in the Raufoss region. In turn, we argue that these actions have enabled regional path extension.publishedVersio

The role of state agency in path development: a longitudinal study of two Norwegian manufacturing regions

The role of the state remains underdeveloped in the regional path development literature. This paper analyses how the Norwegian state via different roles (regulator, purchaser, owner, facilitator) directly and indirectly has enabled and influenced path development in two defence-related high-tech manufacturing regions in Norway since the end of the Second World War, notably by contributing to the modification of localised assets and the strategic coupling of those assets to extra-regional defence-related and civilian markets.publishedVersio

The roles of intermediaries in upgrading of manufacturing clusters: enhancing cluster absorptive capacity

Specialized clusters rely on common knowledge resources and extra-cluster linkages, but how such resources develop over time is unclear. A case in point is how extra-cluster linkages are integrated into intra-cluster networks and the role of different cluster actors in enhancing cluster absorptive capacity. The paper explores the role of cluster intermediaries in linking clusters to external knowledge sources and contributing to knowledge dissemination among cluster firms. This perspective is relevant as manufacturing firms are facing rapid changes in technology, such as those associated with ‘Industry 4.0’. Two manufacturing clusters in Norway are studied regarding cluster absorptive capacities and the role of cluster intermediaries. The authors derive two types of cluster intermediaries with different kinds of service provision well-adjusted to the firm structure. Cluster intermediaries in both cluster contexts can assist firms in tracking and adapting to rapid technological developments.publishedVersio

Plastics in aquaculture: A circular economy guidebook

This report presents 25 concepts for making plastics from aquaculture more circular. The concepts are based on industry initiatives, circular business models and management principles. Furthermore, the report describes the theory behind circular economy and relevant concepts, as well as the background for plastics in aquaculture, including regulatory context.publishedVersio

Når røyken har lagt seg : hvordan eiendomsutviklingsprosjektet på Petersontomta påvirkes av ulike politiske og økonomiske prosesser : en casestudie

I en stadig mer urbanisert verden har byplanlegging og byfornyelse blitt viktige temaer. En samfunnsnyttig og hensiktsmessig nybruk av sentrumsnære arealer som frigjøres ligger sentralt i dette. For å få til det må man gjennomføre gode planprosesser, der både offentlig og private aktører må samarbeide. Denne oppgaven er en casestudie av hvordan eiendomsutviklingsprosjektet på Petersontomta, en nedlagt industritomt i Moss, påvirkes av ulike politiske og økonomiske prosesser. Det empiriske grunnlaget i oppgaven utgjøres av fem intervjuer av nøkkelinformanter som har sentrale roller i planprosessen som gjøres i forbindelse med nybruken av Petersontomta. Dette støttes opp av en dokumentanalyse av offentlige rapporter, kommuneplaner, sentrumsplaner, høringsuttalelser og avisartikler som har resultert i sekundærdata og utgjør en viktig del av oppgaven. Analysen er delt inn i tre deler hvor den første delen tar for seg prosesser som enten er direkte knyttet til utviklingen av tomta eller utviklingen som finner sted på tomta. Dette innebærer blant annet endringer i måten bypolitikk gjøres på og kommunens endrede rolle i denne prosessen. Den andre delen tar for seg hvordan prosesser som finner sted i nærheten av tomta kan påvirke utviklingen på tomta, blant annet plasseringen av en ny jernbanestasjon i byen. Den tredje og siste delen av analysen tar for seg hvordan prosesser påvirker hverandre på tvers av de analytiske rammene som er satt i de to første delene. Dette innebærer den påvirkningen Petersontomta har på jernbaneplasseringen og potensielle økonomiske konsekvenser relatert til en forsinket utvikling av tomta. Hovedfunnene i oppgaven viser at offentlig-privat samarbeid innenfor byutvikling kan sette en typisk norsk kommune og dens administrasjon i en vanskelig situasjon når den, som følge av økonomiske og strukturelle endringer i samfunnet, blir tvunget til å samarbeide med private utviklere. Maktforholdet mellom Moss kommune og den private utvikleren, og grunneieren, Höegh Eiendom kan ansees som usymmetrisk, da kommunen er avhengig av grunneier for å få til den utviklingen de ønsker. Interessekonflikter relatert til nybruken av den nedlagte industritomta, og uenighetene rundt plassering av nye Moss stasjon, kan påvirke samarbeidet partene imellom i negativ forstand. Et dårlig samarbeid kan føre til en tungrodd fortsettelse på planprosessen rundt eiendomsutviklingsprosjektet på Petersontomta

Navigating emerging technologies and knowledge demands System perspectives on knowledge development in Norwegian manufacturing industry

This thesis explores the development of technology and knowledge capabilities in Norwegian manufacturing industry, with an emphasis on two manufacturing clusters and their surrounding regions. Recent technological developments related to the concept Industry 4.0 has put technological and knowledge upgrading on the political agenda and has created a momentum for manufacturers to upgrade their capabilities. These upgrading processes demand close collaboration between firm and non-firm actors. As such, the thesis explores how non-firm actors such as national and regional institutions and organizations engage with manufacturers to develop firm capabilities and how these interactions lead to regional economic development. In its analysis, inspired by the pluralistic approach to theory within economic geography, the thesis employs three theoretical approaches from the field of economic geography; the cluster approach, the regional innovation system approach, and the global production network framework. The thesis finds that employing these system approaches to understand upgrading processes and related regional economic development provides a holistic understanding of the multi-scalar processes of technology and knowledge upgrading, which involves firm and nonfarm actors from local, regional, national and international levels. The main aim of the thesis is to provide insights on how firm and non-firm actors in a high cost country (Norway) are engaging in processes of technology and knowledge upgrading in face of rapid technological advances within the manufacturing industry. In addition to study ongoing processes within Norwegian manufacturing industry and their impact on regional economic development, the thesis studies how existing, historically developed regional capabilities have been developed in the post-war period (1945–2019), providing vital background knowledge for understanding recent developments. In so doing, the thesis aims to contribute to theorizing within economic geography by exploring and developing existing system approaches. The thesis consists of two parts. The first part consists of five chapters that outlines the thesis’ empirical and theoretical background, describes the overall research design and methodology, and the overall contributions and suggests directions for future research. The second part consists of four individual research articles that addresses three different themes. The first theme concerns cluster dynamics and evolution and is covered by the articles On the evolution of clusters and the role of state agency: An historical analysis of two defence-related high-tech clusters in Norway and Cluster absorptive capacity: the roles of intermediaries in technology upgrading of manufacturing clusters. The former longitudinal study analyses the role of the Norwegian state in developing the two Norwegian manufacturing clusters Kongsberg and Raufoss from state owned companies into clusters with distinct knowledge bases, while the latter explores how cluster intermediaries develop the two clusters’ absorptive capacities as they facilitate the absorption of extra-local knowledge and spreading it to cluster firms. The second theme relates to the evolution of regional innovation systems. The article The Importance of Vocational Education Institutions in Manufacturing Regions: Adding Content to a Broad Definition of Regional Innovation Systems studies how vocational education institutions in manufacturing regions are key knowledge providers and how regional innovation systems are changing due to the co-evolution of technology, industry and education. The third theme relates to the broader discussion on the spatial division of labour, and, more explicitly, the reshoring of manufacturing activities. The article Make at home or abroad? Manufacturing reshoring through a GPN lens: a Norwegian case study studies how advanced manufacturing technologies act as a driver for manufacturing reshoring when matched with key regional assets such as knowledge and competence, organizational culture, key human capital and region-specific manufacturing competence

Make at home or abroad? Manufacturing reshoring through a GPN lens: A Norwegian case study

The explorative paper investigates the drivers for the emerging trend of manufacturing reshoring from low- to high-cost locations. To date research on the reshoring phenomenon has been dominated by micro-level analyses of firms in supply chain management and reported in international business literature. The paper introduces reshoring as a research topic to the economic geography research field, arguing that it connects with the broader topic of regional development. To provide a better understanding of the reshoring phenomenon and to test the applicability of the global production network (GPN) framework in the analysis of the phenomenon, the authors analyse the reshoring of nine of Norwegian manufacturing firms. With the multiscalar lens provided by the GPN framework, the authors find that the implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies is a driver for manufacturing reshoring, but only when matched with key regional assets such as automation knowledge and competence, key human capital, and region-specific manufacturing competence. Additionally, reshoring decisions are influenced by extra-regional factors such as changes in the global economy and market fluctuations. Furthermore, the paper provides a refined conceptualization of strategic coupling processes by including acts of disinvestments and reinvestments performed by actors within global production networks. Accordingly, the authors advocate a more nuanced understanding, defined as partial coupling processes, in contrast to the predominant understanding of coupling processes as ruptures. This refined conceptualization provides enhanced analytical purchase when studying the reshoring phenomenon, as it illuminates the complexity of firms’ production and sourcing strategies and the resulting implications for the economic landscape

Fra oppdrettsplast til verdi Drivere og barrierer for sirkulær økonomi basert på hardplast fra norsk havbruk

Rapporten er et av flere resultater fra kompetanse- og samarbeidsprosjektet POCOplast. Prosjektet skal utvikle ny kunnskap om hvordan man kan oppnå mer bærekraftig utnyttelse av hardplast fra oppdrettsnæringen, ved å skape ny verdi basert på resirkulering og sirkulær økonomi. Rapporten drøfter drivere og barrierer for slik omstilling i et Teknologisk Innovasjons System (TIS) perspektiv. Vi finner at det teknologiske innovasjonssystemet for sirkulær økonomi basert på brukt hardplast fra oppdrettsnæringen er i en formativ fase, hvor det er viktig å stimulere entreprenøriell aktivitet, legge til rette for mer samarbeid og kunnskapsdeling, samt styrke legitimiteten til de resirkulerte produktene. Sist, men ikke minst, er det viktig at det utvikles regelverk som legger til rette for økt sirkularitet. Den første delen av rapporten er et utvidet sammendrag som oppsummerer hovedfunn og anbefalinger fra arbeidet. ISBN: 978-82-14-07513-7publishedVersio

Fra oppdrettsplast til verdi Drivere og barrierer for sirkulær økonomi basert på hardplast fra norsk havbruk

Rapporten er et av flere resultater fra kompetanse- og samarbeidsprosjektet POCOplast. Prosjektet skal utvikle ny kunnskap om hvordan man kan oppnå mer bærekraftig utnyttelse av hardplast fra oppdrettsnæringen, ved å skape ny verdi basert på resirkulering og sirkulær økonomi. Rapporten drøfter drivere og barrierer for slik omstilling i et Teknologisk Innovasjons System (TIS) perspektiv. Vi finner at det teknologiske innovasjonssystemet for sirkulær økonomi basert på brukt hardplast fra oppdrettsnæringen er i en formativ fase, hvor det er viktig å stimulere entreprenøriell aktivitet, legge til rette for mer samarbeid og kunnskapsdeling, samt styrke legitimiteten til de resirkulerte produktene. Sist, men ikke minst, er det viktig at det utvikles regelverk som legger til rette for økt sirkularitet. Den første delen av rapporten er et utvidet sammendrag som oppsummerer hovedfunn og anbefalinger fra arbeidet

Greener and smarter? Transformations in five Norwegian industrial sectors

This report is an output from the INTRANSIT Research Centre on Innovation Policy for Industrial Transformation, Sustainability and Digitalisation. The report presents an analysis of green and digital transformations in five Norwegian industrial sectors: oil and gas, maritime, aquaculture, manufacturing and process industries. By drawing on perspectives from innovation and sustainability transition studies, we analyse how the industrial sectors respond to green and digital pressures as well as opportunities. Our results show that while a green transformation is gathering momentum in the maritime sector, little radical change has yet taken place in various other sectors. Meanwhile, the thrust driving digitalization is often connected to increasing cost-efficiency and competitiveness in global markets. However, in the aquaculture sector, digital technologies are often applied to solve environmental and fish health issues. Green and digital transformations in industrial sectors may thus have points of interaction, leading to complementary, but occasionally also conflicting, developments. Based on empirical findings we draw insights for green and digital transformation policy, and take note on how COVID-19 pandemic may affect such transformations.publishedVersio