IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/ijitmx/v15y2018i01ns0219877018500074.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Additive Manufacturing in SMEs: Empirical Evidences from Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Giacomo Marzi

    (Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK)

  • Lamberto Zollo

    (#x2020;University of Florence, Department of Sciences for Business and Economic, Florence, Italy)

  • Andrea Boccardi

    (#x2020;University of Florence, Department of Sciences for Business and Economic, Florence, Italy)

  • Cristiano Ciappei

    (#x2020;University of Florence, Department of Sciences for Business and Economic, Florence, Italy)

Abstract

Research on innovative technological methods in SMEs’ production processes is progressively receiving attention. However, little is known about the emerging phenomenon of additive manufacturing (AM), which may represent a significant strategic lever for fostering a company’s competitiveness and performance, especially for SMEs. Our aim is to investigate the effects of AM on SMEs’ production process, in order to better understand the relative outcomes of such an innovative technique. We used latent content analysis for empirically analyzing SMEs present in one of the most important Italian gold jewelry districts. Our findings suggest that the AM introduction in a company’s production process effectively results in many positive outcomes, such as process innovation, customer satisfaction, costs, revenues, profits, and competitive advantage. Specifically, there is a positive linkage between AM and a company’s performance. Hence, such an innovative technique may be interpreted as a viable growth strategy for SMEs. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Giacomo Marzi & Lamberto Zollo & Andrea Boccardi & Cristiano Ciappei, 2018. "Additive Manufacturing in SMEs: Empirical Evidences from Italy," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(01), pages 1-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:ijitmx:v:15:y:2018:i:01:n:s0219877018500074
    DOI: 10.1142/S0219877018500074
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0219877018500074
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S0219877018500074?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kayhan Tajeddini, 2016. "Financial Orientation, Product Innovation and Firm Performance — An Empirical Study in the Japanese SMEs," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(03), pages 1-30, June.
    2. Nouha Taifi & Mariangela Lazoi & Angelo Corallo & Giuseppina Passiante & Mariangela Lazoi, 2012. "Integrated Systems And Outsourcing: Process Innovation In Aerospace Product Design," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(03), pages 1-16.
    3. Lee, Sungjoo & Park, Gwangman & Yoon, Byungun & Park, Jinwoo, 2010. "Open innovation in SMEs--An intermediated network model," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 290-300, March.
    4. Milé Terziovski, 2010. "Innovation practice and its performance implications in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector: a resource‐based view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(8), pages 892-902, August.
    5. Bronwyn Hall & Francesca Lotti & Jacques Mairesse, 2009. "Innovation and productivity in SMEs: empirical evidence for Italy," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 13-33, June.
    6. Spiggle, Susan, 1994. "Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data in Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 21(3), pages 491-503, December.
    7. Sirilli, Giorgio & Evangelista, Rinaldo, 1998. "Technological innovation in services and manufacturing: results from Italian surveys," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(9), pages 881-899, December.
    8. Gary A Knight & S Tamar Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(2), pages 124-141, March.
    9. G. M.P. Swann, 2009. "The Economics of Innovation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13211.
    10. Pavitt, Keith, 1998. "Technologies, Products and Organization in the Innovating Firm: What Adam Smith Tells Us and Joseph Schumpeter Doesn't," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 7(3), pages 433-452, September.
    11. Giacomo Marzi & Marina Dabić & Tugrul Daim & Edwin Garces, 2017. "Product and process innovation in manufacturing firms: a 30-year bibliometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(2), pages 673-704, November.
    12. Mark Freel, 2000. "External linkages and product innovation in small manufacturing firms," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 245-266, July.
    13. Utterback, James M & Abernathy, William J, 1975. "A dynamic model of process and product innovation," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 3(6), pages 639-656, December.
    14. Rohit S. Kannattukunnel, 2016. "Global Patents on 3D Printing: Revelations Based on Vector Autoregression Analysis for Three Decades," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(06), pages 1-27, December.
    15. Laursen, Keld & Salter, Ammon, 2004. "Searching high and low: what types of firms use universities as a source of innovation?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(8), pages 1201-1215, October.
    16. Robert D. Dewar & Jane E. Dutton, 1986. "The Adoption of Radical and Incremental Innovations: An Empirical Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(11), pages 1422-1433, November.
    17. Nouha Taifi & Mariangela Lazoi & Angelo Corallo & Giuseppina Passiante & Michele Monaco, 2012. "Erratum: Integrated Systems And Outsourcing: Process Innovation In Aerospace Product Design," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(04), pages 1-1.
    18. Anderson, Alistair R. & Dodd, Sarah Drakopoulou & Jack, Sarah, 2010. "Network practices and entrepreneurial growth," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 121-133, June.
    19. Wendy K. Smith & Michael L. Tushman, 2005. "Managing Strategic Contradictions: A Top Management Model for Managing Innovation Streams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(5), pages 522-536, October.
    20. John E. Ettlie & William P. Bridges & Robert D. O'Keefe, 1984. "Organization Strategy and Structural Differences for Radical Versus Incremental Innovation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(6), pages 682-695, June.
    21. Maggitti, Patrick G. & Smith, Ken G. & Katila, Riitta, 2013. "The complex search process of invention," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 90-100.
    22. Toke Reichstein & Ammon Salter, 2006. "Investigating the sources of process innovation among UK manufacturing firms," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 15(4), pages 653-682, August.
    23. Orietta Marsili & Ammon Salter, 2005. "'Inequality' of innovation: skewed distributions and the returns to innovation in Dutch manufacturing," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1-2), pages 83-102.
    24. Evangelista, Rinaldo & Perani, Giulio & Rapiti, Fabio & Archibugi, Daniele, 1997. "Nature and impact of innovation in manufacturing industry: some evidence from the Italian innovation survey," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(4-5), pages 521-536, December.
    25. Elena Golovko & Giovanni Valentini, 2011. "Exploring the complementarity between innovation and export for SMEs’ growth," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(3), pages 362-380, April.
    26. Mellor, Stephen & Hao, Liang & Zhang, David, 2014. "Additive manufacturing: A framework for implementation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 194-201.
    27. Mikel Sorli & Dragan Stokic, 2011. "Future Trends In Product/Process Innovation," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 8(04), pages 577-599.
    28. Kleinknecht, Alfred & Reijnen, Jeroen O. N., 1992. "Why do firms cooperate on R&D? an empirical study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 347-360, August.
    29. Lawrence Miller & Ruth Miller, 2012. "Classifying Innovation," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(01), pages 1-18.
    30. Ana Cristina O. Siqueira & Andy D. Cosh, 2008. "Effects Of Product Innovation And Organisational Capabilities On Competitive Advantage: Evidence From Uk Small And Medium Manufacturing Enterprises," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 12(02), pages 113-137.
    31. Gary A Knight & S Tamer Cavusgil, 2004. "Innovation, organizational capabilities, and the born-global firm," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 334-334, July.
    32. Zoltan Acs & David Audretsch, 1990. "Innovation and Small Firms," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262011131, April.
    33. Thorbjørn Knudsen & Daniel A. Levinthal, 2007. "Two Faces of Search: Alternative Generation and Alternative Evaluation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(1), pages 39-54, February.
    34. Witt, Ulrich, 2009. "Propositions about novelty," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 70(1-2), pages 311-320, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Martin Hannibal, 2020. "The influence of additive manufacturing on early internationalization: considerations into potential avenues of IE research," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 473-491, December.
    2. Harm-Jan Steenhuis & Xin Fang & Tolga Ulusemre, 2020. "Global Diffusion of Innovation during the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Case of Additive Manufacturing or 3D Printing," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(01), pages 1-34, February.
    3. Niehues, Stephanie & Gürpinar, Tan, 2019. "Disruptive technologies: Integration in existing supply chain processes," Chapters from the Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), in: Kersten, Wolfgang & Blecker, Thorsten & Ringle, Christian M. (ed.), Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation in Supply Chain Management: Innovative Approaches for Supply Chains. Proceedings of the Hamburg Int, volume 27, pages 265-296, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute of Business Logistics and General Management.
    4. Gayoung Kim & Woo Jin Lee, 2021. "The Venture Firm’s Ambidexterity: Do Transformational Leaders Boost Organizational Learning for Venture Growth?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-15, July.
    5. Caviggioli, Federico & Ughetto, Elisa, 2019. "A bibliometric analysis of the research dealing with the impact of additive manufacturing on industry, business and society," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 254-268.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giacomo Marzi & Marina Dabić & Tugrul Daim & Edwin Garces, 2017. "Product and process innovation in manufacturing firms: a 30-year bibliometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(2), pages 673-704, November.
    2. Salim Morched & Ben Mohamed Ezzeddine & Anis Jarboui, 2023. "The impact of innovation type on the performance and social responsibility of French manufacturing companies," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 433-452, September.
    3. Peeters, T.J.G., 2013. "External knowledge search and use in new product development," Other publications TiSEM 300ebb34-b090-4210-b95e-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. A. Lasagni, 2011. "European SMEs, external relationships and innovation: some empirical evidence," Economics Department Working Papers 2011-EP04, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).
    5. Alfonso Exposito & Juan A. Sanchis-Llopis, 2020. "The effects of innovation on the decisions of exporting and/or importing in SMEs: empirical evidence in the case of Spain," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 813-829, October.
    6. Andrés Barge-Gil & Alberto López, 2015. "R versus D: estimating the differentiated effect of research and development on innovation results," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 24(1), pages 93-129.
    7. Khorshed Alam & Adewuyi A. Adeyinka, 2021. "Does innovation stimulate performance? The case of small and medium enterprises in regional Australia," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 496-519, September.
    8. Hervas-Oliver, Jose-Luis & Sempere-Ripoll, Francisca & Boronat-Moll, Carles, 2012. "Process innovation objectives and management complementarities: patterns, drivers, co-adoption and performance effects," MERIT Working Papers 2012-051, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    9. Andræs Barge-Gil, 2013. "Open Strategies and Innovation Performance," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(7), pages 585-610, October.
    10. de Jong, Jeroen P.J. & Marsili, Orietta, 2006. "The fruit flies of innovations: A taxonomy of innovative small firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 213-229, March.
    11. JUSTIN DORAN & NOIRIN McCARTHY & MARIE O’CONNOR, 2019. "The Importance Of Internal Knowledge Generation And External Knowledge Sourcing For Sme Innovation And Performance: Evidence From Ireland," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(07), pages 1-30, October.
    12. Bernardo Batiz-Lazo & Kassa Woldesenbet, 2006. "The dynamics of product and process innovations in UK banking," International Journal of Financial Services Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(4), pages 400-421.
    13. Alfonso Expósito & Juan A. Sanchis-Llopis, 2018. "Innovation and business performance for Spanish SMEs: new evidence from a multi-dimensional approach," Working Papers 1805, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    14. Bagheri, Mahshid & Mitchelmore, Siwan & Bamiatzi, Vassiliki & Nikolopoulos, Konstantinos, 2019. "Internationalization Orientation in SMEs: The Mediating Role of Technological Innovation," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 121-139.
    15. Prajogo, Daniel I., 2016. "The strategic fit between innovation strategies and business environment in delivering business performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(P2), pages 241-249.
    16. Ronen Harel & Dafna Schwartz & Dan Kaufmann, 2021. "The relationship between innovation promotion processes and small business success: the role of managers’ dominance," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(7), pages 1937-1960, October.
    17. Ye Seul Choi & Up Lim, 2017. "Contextual Factors Affecting the Innovation Performance of Manufacturing SMEs in Korea: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-15, July.
    18. Laura Gavinelli & Cinzia Colapinto & Mariangela Zenga & Paola Chiodini, 2016. "Strategic choices in recessionary period: an exploration on italian smes," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(3), pages 135-158.
    19. Matthias Siller & Christoph Hauser & Janette Walde & Gottfried Tappeiner, 2014. "The Multiple Facets of Regional Innovation," Working Papers 2014-19, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck.
    20. Natália Barbosa & Ana Paula Faria & Vasco Eiriz, 2014. "Industry- and firm-specific factors of innovation novelty," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 23(3), pages 865-902.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wsi:ijitmx:v:15:y:2018:i:01:n:s0219877018500074. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/ijitm/ijitm.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.