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'Transnational Clustering in the Automotive Sector'

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The focus of TCAS is on facilitating exchange of experience and best practice among European automotive clusters in order to strengthen their performance, create a transnational cooperation platform and opening up new European business perspectives for cluster enterprises.

With more than 2 million people employed on the manufacture of motor vehicles and trailers, the automotive industry is a vital part of the European economy. If jobs in related industries are included, then employment in the industry in Europe reaches over 12 million.

The industry is presently undergoing a period of turbulence marked by increasing global competition. Since the early 1990s the supply chain has experienced far-reaching transformations. In the face of increasing costs, European car manufacturers are passing on more and more responsibility to the supply industry, and transferring cost and innovation pressures down the supply chain. These pressures are particularly severe at the lower tier levels of component and parts suppliers, as these companies often lack the resources needed to innovate.

Clusters in the automotive sector have proved to be a successful framework for suppliers to respond to high costs and innovation pressures.

The project has 5 specific objectives:
  • To exchange experience and best-practice among advanced automotive clusters.
  • To develop a best-practice strategy and policy recommendations on clustering in the automotive sector.
  • To transfer know-how in order to build-up and manage clusters in the less advanced regions of the New Member States.
  • To promote co-operation between the participant clusters and to form a stable cooperation platform.
  • To open up new European business perspectives to participant cluster companies.