Table 1. The MSFC – basic features,... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1.

The MSFC – basic features, ambidexterity and resilience

Aspect	Observation
Changes in configurations of the cluster
Regulatory framework Technology	Society/policy – Before: Few influences of changing framework conditions – Environmental regulations Technology – Before: New steels mainly used in coatings – Possibility of new steels also in massive steel applications
Production and innovation regime	Markets – Before: Tendencies: Outsourcing at the side of the OEMs and systems suppliers; substantial cost pressure – New tendencies: E-mobility, new markets (wind turbines), competition from China Collaboration – Before: Rather low degree of cooperation – Increased cooperation (industrial collective research as framework)
Observations regarding ambidexterity and resilience
Ambidexterity	Firm level – From the beginning different degrees of ambidexterity – R&D intensive firms, others working just based on engineering drawings – Some firms already developed into new markets Cluster level – Lock-in in the automotive value chain; modest role of new markets – Low degree of cooperation; exception: industrial collective research
Resilience	Individual firm: low degree of resilience – Before: Mostly low potential resilience because of fixed position in the value chain (exception: few mostly large firms) – No way to influence the changing car design; alternative markets are small Cluster – As with firms: Stable position over a long period of time, but no resilience to potential outside shocks – Changing situation: Only partly possibility to open up new markets – Ambidexterity can only partly (for some firms) ensure resilience because of shrinking market size for massive forging products

Aspect	Observation
Changes in configurations of the cluster
Regulatory frameworkTechnology	Society/policy– Before: Few influences of changing framework conditions– Environmental regulationsTechnology– Before: New steels mainly used in coatings– Possibility of new steels also in massive steel applications
Production andinnovation regime	Markets– Before: Tendencies: Outsourcing at the side of the OEMs and systems suppliers; substantial cost pressure– New tendencies: E-mobility, new markets (wind turbines), competition from ChinaCollaboration– Before: Rather low degree of cooperation– Increased cooperation (industrial collective research as framework)
Observations regarding ambidexterity and resilience
Ambidexterity	Firm level– From the beginning different degrees of ambidexterity– R&D intensive firms, others working just based on engineering drawings– Some firms already developed into new marketsCluster level– Lock-in in the automotive value chain; modest role of new markets– Low degree of cooperation; exception: industrial collective research
Resilience	Individual firm: low degree of resilience– Before: Mostly low potential resilience because of fixed position in the value chain (exception: few mostly large firms)– No way to influence the changing car design; alternative markets are smallCluster– As with firms: Stable position over a long period of time, but no resilience to potential outside shocks– Changing situation: Only partly possibility to open up new markets– Ambidexterity can only partly (for some firms) ensure resilience because of shrinking market size for massive forging products

Sources: Own depiction, based on expert interviews with forging firms, firms in other parts of the value chain and representatives from research organisations