Mould and die makers for the automotive industry in Italy Online publication date: Fri, 18-Sep-2009
by Secondo Rolfo, Paolo Vaglio
International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management (IJATM), Vol. 9, No. 4, 2009
Abstract: Generally speaking, Italy is known worldwide for a strong specialisation in fashion/luxury products, but the perception of the country's international position in the mechanical industry is scarce. Very few people know that Italy is the fourth world producer of moulds and dies (the second in Europe) and the third exporter. In this paper, we analyse the recent evolution of this industry in Italy using a sample of around 200 firms: through an analysis of their balance sheets, we can observe two main elements. The first is a general competitive pressure from new industrialised countries (Eastern Europe, Turkey, China, India, etc.) that are able to offer moulds and dies at a lower price than Italian and European firms. The second element concerns the better performances of firms specialising in supply to automotive groups; they show a larger size and proactive strategies that allow them to transform their businesses from traditional subcontracting shops to modern industrial firms.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management (IJATM):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com
Our Blog 
Follow us on Twitter 
Visit us on Facebook