Multi-scalarity of knowledge: impacts on mechanical and mechatronic SMEs in Vicenza district

The aim of the thesis will be to analyze the potential impacts that the process of multi-scalarity of knowledge may have in companies that operate in the mechanical and mechatronic industry, with a focus on the impacts on the entire supply chain of SMEs part of the mechanical district of Vicenza province. In particular, the paper will start from a review of the literature regarding the importance of the shift from an economy based on resources to an economy based on the role of knowledge in the market. Since knowledge is now perceived as one of the most important competitive advantages for firms, the thesis will have a main focus on the role of knowledge combination at different levels, defined as the process of multi-scalarity of knowledge, identifying opportunities regarding the combination of both internal and external knowledge provided by different sources and levels, i.e., on a local, national and international scale, as well as the impacts on innovation performances of firms, especially for those part of local productive systems (LPSs). The thesis will then concentrate on the dynamics of the mechanical and mechatronic sector and the importance of knowledge combination on it: after an analysis of the main knowledge bases acquired form the external environment and the main local and national sources of knowledge and mechanisms applied, the paper will concentrate on the potential impacts of this process in the entire supply chain in the mechatronic district, identifying opportunities from both upstream and downstream activities and the import and export of new knowledge. Finally, in order to contribute to a better understanding of the knowledge dynamics in the mechanical and mechatronic district in Vicenza province, characterized by a deeply specialized pool of small and medium enterprises, the thesis will conduct an empirical analysis based on interviews on a sample of six mechanical and mechatronic companies in Vicenza in order to understand the processes and mechanisms behind knowledge combination and the effects of multi-scalar flows in this specialized ID and the impacts in its entire supply chain.