SASSUOLO TILE CLUSTER, AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT, INTERNATIONALIZATION PROCESS AND GLOBAL COMPETITION

The goal of this work is to analyze the historical and economic development of one of the most important Italian districts, Sassuolo tile cluster. In order to understand how Italy has achieved a position among the main global players in the ceramic industry, it is crucial to present how the district could flourish and the background in which it has developed. The intent of the whole project is to follow the point of view of internationalization; in this sense it is analyzed the world consumption and production of tiles, with a focus on global competition and a comparison to foreign industries. As a result in the project the following questions will be answered: which market segments are occupied by Italian firms? and how do they differentiate from foreign competitors? Finally an overview of the current situation is proposed addressing topics such as innovation, sustainability, the responsiveness of the industry to world unfavorable events, new markets and opportunities for the future.