Abstract

The machine tool industry has a key role in the Italian manufacturing system, since Italy is the fourth largest producer and third largest exporter. Innovative processes in this industry have a triple hybrid characterization: companies compete globally, so they are open to incremental innovation and imitation, but at the same time they try to defend their products using patents. Secondly, the content of technological innovation driven by r&d is dictated by customers. This paper investigates innovative processes and tests the links between r&d and productivity: empirical tests confirm that human capital and innovative products are the major competitive factors for companies in this branch.