EASN Towards a European Network to Improve Cluster Management in the Automotive Sector Innovation in Automotive and Support Policies Torino, November 8 th & 9 th, 2007

Content  The European automotive sector  Challenges in innovation  European Automotive Strategy Network (EASN)  A short note on BeLCAR

 The European automotive sector

The automotive sector  OEM and suppliers:  Big multi-technology suppliers  medium-sized, family-owned suppliers of modules in the pre- modularisation sense  suppliers of components, mostly small firms.  Hierarchical structure  Globalisation and regionalisation  System integration and modularisation

General trends Globalisation Increasing cost pressure New strategies of OEM‘s New technologies (electronics, brake-by-wire, steer-by-wire, telematics, new materials,...). Increased need for training of employees

OEMs vs. Suppliers

 Challenges in innovation

Recent trends  High innovation pressure  Increased number of car types and variants  Niches and specialists, knowledge intensive services  Reduced development time  Globalisation of the markets  Re-configuration of the production value chain SMEs need high flexibility and inventiveness. Innovation is crucial for competitiveness.

 European Automotive Strategy Network

Purpose The purpose of EASN is to strengthen the EU Automotive Industry by –identifying the main issues of concern to the industry; –sharing those concerns with stakeholders at regional, national and European level; –influencing policy at EU level, which feeds through to relevant DGs and the design & development of suitable instruments to support the industry.

Objectives  Disseminate good practices and methodologies in cluster management  Assist SMEs belonging to the regional clusters to enter European co-operation projects  Discuss and agree on policy recommendations to be forwarded to European and national policy makers  Develop joint activities and projects networking regional clusters and cluster management organisations

Founding partners Four European projects agreed on joint activities:  Europe INNOVA cluster networks BeLCAR and TCAS  Interreg IIIC projects Automotive Regions and NEAC  Article 6 project I-CAR-O These projects bring together more than 50 actors from 14 Member States.

Next steps  Extension of the network  Establishment of a (virtual) EASN office  Development and agreement of a joint business plan  Akquisition of funding (e.g. through INTERREG IVC)

Project contacts: –Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH Holger Bach Tel: Fax: BeLCAR is a project funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry Contacts