Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV Open

This research paper examines the risks posed by the MIH EV Open platform to German automotive suppliers, in particular, the risk of commoditization and falling into a commodity trap. The term commodity trap describes a situation in which companies dealing with standardized products or services face...

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Main Authors: Bernhard Koelmel, Tim Haug, Leonie Klein, Lukas Schwab, Rebecca Bulander, Henning Hinderer, Matthias Weyer, Tanja Brugger, Ansgar Kuehn, Tanja Brysch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
Series:Commodities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2813-2432/3/4/22
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author Bernhard Koelmel
Tim Haug
Leonie Klein
Lukas Schwab
Rebecca Bulander
Henning Hinderer
Matthias Weyer
Tanja Brugger
Ansgar Kuehn
Tanja Brysch
author_facet Bernhard Koelmel
Tim Haug
Leonie Klein
Lukas Schwab
Rebecca Bulander
Henning Hinderer
Matthias Weyer
Tanja Brugger
Ansgar Kuehn
Tanja Brysch
author_sort Bernhard Koelmel
collection DOAJ
description This research paper examines the risks posed by the MIH EV Open platform to German automotive suppliers, in particular, the risk of commoditization and falling into a commodity trap. The term commodity trap describes a situation in which companies dealing with standardized products or services face intense price and margin pressure and struggle to differentiate themselves from competitors. The MIH EV Open platform, established by Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., headquartered in Tucheng, Taipei, Taiwan, aims to create a collaborative platform for the comprehensive development of key software, hardware components, and services in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. It unites over 2700 companies from more than 70 countries and fosters collaboration to accelerate the development and market entry of new EV products. This paper analyzes the MIH EV Open business ecosystem model and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of German suppliers in addressing these challenges. This study highlights strategic approaches, including innovation, portfolio adaptation, customer relationships, and sustainability practices, that can enable German suppliers to mitigate commodity trap risks. The findings underscore the importance of proactive, segment-specific strategies amidst the transformation of the automotive industry. Key insights are provided on the potential impact of open platform ecosystems and recommendations for German automotive suppliers to maintain competitiveness. This research fills a gap in the literature by examining the commoditization risks posed by the MIH EV Open platform for German automotive suppliers. Unlike previous studies that focus on traditional market structures, this study explores the novel dynamics introduced by platform ecosystems and provides strategic insights to mitigate these risks.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2813-2432
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publishDate 2024-09-01
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series Commodities
spelling doaj-art-82d0eff798b7484991ff9960c8a051cc2024-12-27T14:18:51ZengMDPI AGCommodities2813-24322024-09-013438942010.3390/commodities3040022Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV OpenBernhard Koelmel0Tim Haug1Leonie Klein2Lukas Schwab3Rebecca Bulander4Henning Hinderer5Matthias Weyer6Tanja Brugger7Ansgar Kuehn8Tanja Brysch9School of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanySchool of Engineering, Engineering and Management, Pforzheim University, 75175 Pforzheim, GermanyThis research paper examines the risks posed by the MIH EV Open platform to German automotive suppliers, in particular, the risk of commoditization and falling into a commodity trap. The term commodity trap describes a situation in which companies dealing with standardized products or services face intense price and margin pressure and struggle to differentiate themselves from competitors. The MIH EV Open platform, established by Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., headquartered in Tucheng, Taipei, Taiwan, aims to create a collaborative platform for the comprehensive development of key software, hardware components, and services in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. It unites over 2700 companies from more than 70 countries and fosters collaboration to accelerate the development and market entry of new EV products. This paper analyzes the MIH EV Open business ecosystem model and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of German suppliers in addressing these challenges. This study highlights strategic approaches, including innovation, portfolio adaptation, customer relationships, and sustainability practices, that can enable German suppliers to mitigate commodity trap risks. The findings underscore the importance of proactive, segment-specific strategies amidst the transformation of the automotive industry. Key insights are provided on the potential impact of open platform ecosystems and recommendations for German automotive suppliers to maintain competitiveness. This research fills a gap in the literature by examining the commoditization risks posed by the MIH EV Open platform for German automotive suppliers. Unlike previous studies that focus on traditional market structures, this study explores the novel dynamics introduced by platform ecosystems and provides strategic insights to mitigate these risks.https://www.mdpi.com/2813-2432/3/4/22MIH EV OpenFoxconncommoditizationautomotive supply industryecosystemplatform economy
spellingShingle Bernhard Koelmel
Tim Haug
Leonie Klein
Lukas Schwab
Rebecca Bulander
Henning Hinderer
Matthias Weyer
Tanja Brugger
Ansgar Kuehn
Tanja Brysch
Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV Open
Commodities
MIH EV Open
Foxconn
commoditization
automotive supply industry
ecosystem
platform economy
title Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV Open
title_full Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV Open
title_fullStr Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV Open
title_full_unstemmed Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV Open
title_short Are German Automotive Suppliers in the Commodity Trap? Risks and Potentials of the Taiwanese Platform MIH EV Open
title_sort are german automotive suppliers in the commodity trap risks and potentials of the taiwanese platform mih ev open
topic MIH EV Open
Foxconn
commoditization
automotive supply industry
ecosystem
platform economy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2813-2432/3/4/22
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