Automotive Cluster and Network activities – Right strategies in times of crisis?

Clusters and networks are a most popular instrument in many states to support automotive industry especially in Europe. In Germany they have a long lasting tradition in several Geman states. In general the organizational framework, the themes and activities of clusters in german car industry and in commercial vehicle industry differ from case to case. Thematic and regional scope, involvement of political domains, how companies and others are embedded often variate.

In this paper we will discuss in general how clusters are embedded or enforced in the context of the german governance model. We will give an overview about central german automobile clusters too. Especially results from an end of 2009 conducted study on the situation of the supplier industry and their current and future needs are highlited. Aspects on the topics how automobile industry suffers, what kind of support they need from their perspective, how cluster react on the crisis will be discussed in more detail on the basis of two clusters.

In the presentation we will show how these two types of clusters are organized and which impact the construction of the clusters have on the aims and support offers for the companies.

 

Prof. Dr. Hajo Weber
Technische Universität Kaiserlautern
Fachbereich Sozialwissenschaften
Lehrgebiet Soziologie
Postfach 3049
67653 Kaiserslautern

 

Dr. Martina Wegge
IMO - Institut zur Modernisierung von Wirtschafts- und Beschäftigungsstrukturen GmbH
Taubenstraße 49
40724 Hilden
Germany