Are technology gatekeepers renewing clusters? Understanding gatekeepers and their dynamics across cluster life cycles

Abstract

The cluster literature assumes that technology gatekeepers (TGs) shape a district's learning process and its evolution. However, analysis of the resilience of TGs, and their role across different stages of the cluster life cycle (CLC), is absent. Instead, most of the evidence that has been produced is set at a particular stage of the CLC. This article seeks to use a qualitative case study to understand the dynamics of TGs, and their knowledge creation and diffusion capabilities in the CLC renewal period. This is a stage less studied in the literature. Further, the article explores TG resilience across different stages of the CLC. Our results show that not all TGs are resilient and necessary for cluster renewal. In addition, they are not sufficient for fostering disruptions: their manifest reluctance to destroy the status quo and their network centrality makes necessary the entrance of new firms with new knowledge. TGs are necessary because they facilitate a cluster's transition across stages thanks to their powerful control of the most vital aspect of clusters: networks.

Keywords::

• technology gatekeepers
• cluster life cycles
• renewal
• evolution

Acknowledgements

We are really thankful to two anonymous reviewers as well as Professor Malecki for support and great comments and suggestions. We are also thankful to the Kerajet team for the interviews and many other participants. The usual disclaimers apply.

Notes

^1. We recognize differences between clusters and industrial districts (see more details in Asheim 2000; Asheim, Smith, and Oughton 2011), but in this article we use both literatures indistinctively for the purpose of developing our framework.

^2. See Ahuja and Lampert (2001) for a discussion, extension and deep analysis of the terms. Also, see Christensen (1997).

^3. It should be pointed out that our argument does not imply that TGs cannot maintain and provide some form of renewal to the cluster by engaging in non-disruptive innovation.

^4. The Castellon cluster industry association ASCER, and the Sassuolo cluster industry association Assopiastrelle, both provided excellent reports about the development of the industry, and also accurate state-of-the-art information about the development of the new technology. In addition, Anffecc, Asebec and ACIMAC also provided comprehensive information about the new nascent technology.ASCER is the Association of Spanish tile manufacturers, at Castellon. Assopiastrelle is the Association of Italian tile manufacturers, at Sassuolo (Modena). Anffecc is the Association of Spanish frits, glazes and pigment producers, at Castellon. Asebec is the Spanish association of producers of mechanical equipment for tile manufacturing, at Castellon. ACIMAC is the Italian association of producers of mechanical equipment for tile manufacturing, at Baggiovara, (Modena).Assopiastrelle, Indagine statistica nazionale Industria italiana delle piastrelle di cerámica, (various years, from 2000 to 2011 reports). ACIMAC. Sintesi dei risultati della indagine statistica nazionale sull'industria italiana delle macchine e attrezzature per ceramica, (various years, from 2000 to 2011 reports). ASCER, Los sectores español y mundial de fabricantes de baldosas cerámicas, (various years, from 2000 to 2011 reports).

^5. Similarly, the ceramic machinery equipment industry in the Emilia-Romagna area is also the world leader, with a total turnover of 1393 million euros in 2010 and exporting around 76% of its total production (ACIMAC 2010).

^6. For instance, the first digital cameras, with two megapixels, underperformed the existing traditional film cameras, with the latter having clearer resolutions and better images. This comparative underperformance is normal in the first stage of a disruption.

^7. According to interviews.

^8. It is important to point out that in the interviews TGs were identified for their prominence in respect of the new technology. The TGs in other technological components not disrupted (such as kilns, processing machinery or clay grinding) continued the same.

^9. EFI is a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovations located in Silicon Valley in the USA. In 2012, it was announced that EFI had acquired Cretaprint, a leading developer of inkjet printers for ceramic tiles printing, based in Castellon (retrieved in January, 2012. http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/efi-acquires-cretaprint-expands-inkjet-focus-ceramic-tile-printing/1).

^10. We acknowledge the making of this point by an anonymous reviewer.

Additional information

Funding

This paper is part of the INNOCLUSTERS Research Project Directed by Dr Hervas-Oliver, JL, funded by the Ministry of Economics (ECO2010-17318).