Cooperation Strategies of Sharing Platform and Manufacturers Considering Value-Added Services

Shared manufacturing platforms improve the utilization of manufacturing resources by digitally matching demand with competing manufacturers and providing value-added services (VAS). Because VAS is costly and its benefits are jointly created, an appropriate cooperation mechanism between the platform and manufacturers is essential for achieving sustainable profitability. This study explores three cooperation strategies: (1) no-cooperation strategy (Model N); (2) cost-sharing strategy (Model CS); and (3) revenue-sharing (Model RS) strategy. This study establishes a shared supply chain model for each strategy, derives the equilibrium results, and compares the optimal performances. The results show that neither cost sharing nor revenue sharing guarantees a Pareto improvement: both parties benefit only when the negotiated cost-sharing ratio or revenue-sharing rate lies within a feasible range that properly balances the platform’s service cost burden and the manufacturers’ participation incentives. Additionally, equilibrium profits for both manufacturers and the sharing platform are decreasing as the value-added services (VAS) cost coefficient increases. Thus, the sharing platform should endeavor to decrease the VAS cost efficiency to reduce the VAS cost and enhance profits for all participants. These findings provide actionable guidance for selecting cooperation strategies and setting sharing parameters to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes in platform-enabled shared manufacturing.