Regional Capabilities and the Organization of Global Mining Value Chains – How Smaller Open Economies Contribute to Critical Raw Materials Supply Chains through Digital Intelligence, Certified Engineering, and Knowledge Infrastructure

Author: Birgit Linnamäe,
PhD Candidate in Management, Estonian Business School;
Strategy Advisor, Nordic Vision Group, Tallinn/Estonia
DOI: 10.66356/mrg.2026.04.03.ENRCOGM

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The article examines the role of smaller open economies in global mining and critical raw materials value chains. Its central argument is that mining value chains may be global in reach, but their actual performance depends on the depth of regional industrial capability. Using Estonian company cases, the article analyses three pathways into mining-related value chains: digital intelligence, certified engineering capability and knowledge infrastructure. The cases show that smaller firms do not need to compete through scale. Instead, they can create significant value at narrow, but strategically critical niche interfaces. Particular attention is given to the role of documentation, certification, compliance and trust, through which hidden champions can become visible, credible and integrable partners in international industrial value chains. The article is based on the author’s presentation at the “MiningForum 2026”, held in Berlin/­Germany from 18th to 19th June 2026.