Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to shed light on one of the most resilient and innovative Italian industrial districts. Taking the «metamorphosis» of the Emilian Model as a starting point, the paper, at first glance, analyses the response of this regional economy to the fourth industrial revolution. The traditional leadership of Emilia-Romagna manufacturing in the field of advanced mechanical engineering industry still plays a fundamental role in the transition toward the new technological paradigm (Industry 4.0 and digital transformation). A paradigm where new capabilities and new ideas can be combined and recombined, as it had already happened with the birth – some decades ago – of mechatronics. On closer inspection, focussing on the Reggio Emilia cluster of mechatronics, the paper investigates some crucial aspects of its recent developments. Specifically, a performance comparison in terms of innovation and internationalisation has been set in place between this district and the Italian mechanical sector. In recent years, this cluster has been showing a high export propensity, a good capacity of attracting foreign investments, and a remarkable innovation performance (e.g., patents and co-patents registered at the epo ). Finally, in the paper we argue that one of the main general characteristics of this district is the geographical concentration of companies; i.e., they are strongly connected through an integrated supply chain. All these factors contribute to a strong dinamicity of the cluster in the XXI century.