Why Data Spaces Are Not (Yet) Emerging - a Manufacturing Intralogistics Study

Data sharing is critical to industrial digitalization. Data spaces are socio-technical infrastructures that enable data sharing activities between organizations. Although data spaces are regarded as promising enablers for smart manufacturing, their uptake has remained limited. Drawing on empirical evidence, this study demonstrates that the key factors influencing manufacturing intralogistics companies’ adoption decisions hinge on the relevance of specific data sharing use cases and the perceived viability of data spaces in addressing them. Companies must first recognize tangible business benefits and assess the technical applicability of data spaces before progressing toward adoption. The findings suggest that clear articulation and communication of data space capabilities, enabled use cases, and associated business value are critical to fostering adoption. Otherwise, the emergence of industrial data spaces is likely to remain slow.