How can traditional industrial clusters achieve digital transformation through industry digital platforms?

Building an industry digital platform based on traditional manufacturing clusters is a realistic way to empower the digital transformation of enterprises. This type of industry digital platform is different from the manufacturing platform transformed from the company itself and the third-party technology service platform. Studying how this type of platform empowers cluster enterprises to transform has important practical significance, particularly for the small and medium-sized enterprises in the clusters. This study analyzes two typical cases of traditional manufacturing clusters in Guangdong Province, China, that undergo digital transformation through industry digital platforms and finds the path and influencing factors. First, the industry digital platform based on clusters needs to attract enterprises to participate by solving public issues in the industry, then accumulate and integrate industry data and maximize the value of the data. After the two stages, the substantial manufacturing industry cluster may be transformed into an ecosystem of virtual and real integration. At the same time, the heterogeneity of the manufacturing industry is strong, and the integration of different industrial clusters with platforms is influenced by factors such as cluster product processes, cluster organizational forms, and local policies, which together shape the construction and development process of industry digital platforms.