Zur Inwertsetzung modularer Produktionsnetzwerke : Potentiale, Grenzen und räumliche Implikationen am Beispiel der Halbleiterindustrie

Against the background of Sturgeon’s (2002) concept of value chain modularity, the paper explores the extent to which the ongoing transformation in the semiconductor industry is fostering a new model of industrial organisation. The empirical investigation focuses on (1) the governance structure of production networks; (2) the corporate strategic objectives of the firms involved, especially the management of innovation and standardisation processes including their spatial implications; and (3) the spatial and social embeddedness of the network partners. The findings indicate that at specific interfaces of the value chain, particularly between semiconductor design companies (‘fabless’ cooperations) and contract producers (foundries), modular characteristics are, in fact, a distinct feature of industrial organisation. Nevertheless, a paradigmatic shift as postulated by Sturgeon is not to be expected, since the actors insist on the advantages of spatial agglomeration when it comes to the coordination of complex processes; moreover, economic incentives were detected that encourage the rejection of standardisation as a key precondition of modularity.

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