Industry 4.0 for Product and Process Innovation. The Case of the Mechanical Cluster of Friuli Venezia Giulia

The study investigates the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies among a sample of firms from the mechanical cluster in the Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Based on qualitative data relative to four SMEs and a Cluster Agency, the analysis reveals that the adoption of some Industry 4.0 technologies can drive the evolution and innovation in the cluster. The adoption of technologies follows two main directions: product innovation and process innovation, in some cases involving the entire business model. The discussion highlights the extent to which the spread of Industry 4.0 can benefit from the existence of an ecosystem supporting innovation.