From Complexity to Collaboration: How Platformization Is Transforming Italy’s Complex Systems
The “Platformization of CoPS Supply Chains” project by the Politecnico di Milano is paving the way for new industrial models that are based on digital ecosystems and inter-company collaboration.
The growing complexity of modern products and systems, ranging from satellites to automated production lines, requires new strategies for effective and sustainable management.
The research project “Platformization of CoPS Supply Chains”, led by the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano, examines how Italian manufacturers of complex product systems (CoPS) can transition to platform and digital ecosystem models. The project delivers tangible outcomes in the form of models, methodologies, and tools for manufacturing companies.
Complex Product Systems (CoPS), ranging from satellites to nuclear power plants and industrial machinery to medical devices, represent the technological core of advanced industries. These products are made up of a large number of interdependent components and require increasingly sophisticated development, testing and maintenance processes. In order to address this complexity, companies are adopting platformisation and modularisation strategies that encourage collaboration, reduce costs and accelerate innovation.
The “Platformization of CoPS Supply Chains” project, coordinated by Professor Giorgio Locatelli of the Politecnico di Milano, was launched in 2023 and will be completed in December 2025. Funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), the project lasted 36 months.
This initiative was one of 48 applied research activities across the eight Spokes of MICS - Made in Italy Circular and Sustainable, aiming to support Italian companies in transitioning to digital ecosystem models.
During the first year, the researchers focused on analysing the context and collecting national and international best practices related to industrial platforms. They examined theoretical models and real-world case studies from a variety of sectors, ranging from automation to aerospace, and began the process of aligning the cultures of academia and business by engaging Master's students and PhD candidates in applied research activities.
The second phase of the project involved practical experimentation and the development of a proof of concept (PoC) in collaboration with one of the partner companies. The aim was to test new digital service models and assess market readiness for inter-organisational ecosystems.
This phase also revealed key cultural barriers to change, such as limited data-sharing among companies and difficulties in integrating digital units with traditional manufacturing functions.
In recent months, the focus has shifted to summarising the results and sharing them for operational purposes. The team produced two scientific papers on best practices for transforming supply chains into ecosystems and created a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled “Beyond the Supply Chain: Fundamentals of Business Ecosystems for Manufacturing”, which is designed to promote a culture of collaborative innovation within the industrial sector.
In addition to the Politecnico di Milano, the project involves SCM Group, Camozzi Group and Thales Alenia Space Italia, all of which are leading companies in their respective fields. These companies helped to test and validate the methodologies developed in real-world industrial contexts.
The outcome is a new vision for Italian manufacturing, in which complexity is not viewed as an obstacle, but rather as a resource to be managed through collaborative platforms, digital ecosystems and shared innovation.