REGIONAL CASE STUDY:AUTOMOTIVE CRASH-SAFETY

IN VÄSTRA GÖTALAND

Anders LarssonDepartment of Human and Economic Geography

University of Göteborg

Linking in to global knowledge flows

Dissemination Workshop, 22 April 2010, Malmö

A CHANGING TERRITORIAL KNOWLEDGE DYNAMIC

From Towards

Innovation processes Knowledge dynamics

Mono-sectoral trajectories Multi-sectoral dynamics

Specialised production systemsComplex production-consumption systems

Spatial division (fixes) of activities Multi-location dynamics

Temporal discontinuity (project) Continous knowledge mobilisation

Based on: Jeannerat H. and O. Crevoiser (2008): From proximity to multi-location Territorial Knowledge Dynamics: The case of the Swiss watch industry. GRET Working

Paper 3/2008-E. Groupe de recherge en économie territoriale: Université de Neuchâtel.

THE CRASH-SAFETY REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE DYNAMIC

• A long-term regional trajectory - 40 years

• Three car/truck manufacturing plants

• Local university with long-term research in traffic safety

• World-leading regional supplier

• Active state policies promote traffic safety

A SHIFT IN TECHNOLOGICAL FOCUS

PASSIVESAFETY

ACTIVESAFETY

CASE 1: Passive safety-Integrated Child Seat

CASE 1: Knowledge characteristics

• Specialized regional knowledge system

• Cumulative engineering-based knowledge generation

• Dominated by the large car-maker(s)

• Regional outsourcing of strategic knowledge

• Prototyping & testing• Project management

CASE 2: Active Safety - Establishing National Research Centre

CASE 2: Active Safety-Establishing National Research Centre

• A research unit using competence from 22 partners from the academy, society and the industry.

• Vision: to enable Sweden to reach world leading competitiveness, and to provide new countermeasures to considerably reduce both the number of traffic accidents and the number of fatalities and serious injuries.

CRASH-SAFETY KNOWLEDE DYNAMICMAIN ACTORS AND RELATIONS

COMPLEMENTARITIES

• Sectors incresingly less important as an analythical tool

• New products and services require new players to be involved

• Large-firm controlled configurations can be potential problems

PROXIMITIES

• Proximities (physical, social, temporal) has been crucial for the generation and use of knowledge in the TKD.

• Continuous competitiveness of the TKD is based on the combination of proximity and distant relations with an increasing importance of the later

INTEGRATING COMPLEMENTARY KNOWLEDGE FIELDS THROUGH PROXIMITY?

Sensor-technology

ICT

Human-Machine interaction

GPS

Crash effects on the human body

Long-term accident data follow-up

Driving behaviour

Traffic-safety policyInfrastructure

planning

Resque Services

Car design

Product development

Marketing

CAR MAKERS

TRAD. SUPPLIERS

KIBS

UNIVERSITY

PUBLIC SPHERE

UNIVERSITY

CAR MAKERS

REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE ANCHORING

CAPACITY

POLICY COMMENTS…• The large car-makers have been (and still

are) in the drivers seat. What about the future? Constructive participation for change or complacent guardians of ”their own” knowledge?

• Global technological competitiveness for an automotive region is a result of a 40 year trajectory. Is there a policy time-frame to match this?