The rise of a district lead firm: The case of Wam (1968-2003)

In recent times one major evolution in several industrial districts in Italy has been the emergence of new hierarchical structures with the rise of lead firms. These are firms that - contrary to canonical district firms which tend to remain small - pursue size growth, invest in marketing, distribution and R&D, reorganize subcontracting networks, and become international by establishing commercial subsidiaries and production facilities abroad. However, lead firms' histories remain largely unexplored. This article contributes to fill this gap by examining the case of one of such lead firms: Wam, a company set up in 1968 in the mechanical engineering district of Modena, which at the beginning of the 21st century had become the world leader in the production of bulk material handling and dust filtration machinery. This paper in particulra focuses on the strategy of growth and internationalisation that this company has pursued and its effects in both the host nations and in its Italian industrial district of origin

In recent times one major development in several industrial districts in Italy has been the emergence of new hierarchical structures that led to the rise of lead firms. These are firms that - contrary to canonical district firms which tend to remain small - pursue size growth, invest in marketing, distribution and R&D, reorganize their subcontracting networks, and become international by establishing commercial subsidiaries and production facilities abroad. However, die history of lead firms remains largely unexplored. This article contributes to filling this gap by examining the case of one such lead firm: Warn, a company set up in 1968 in the mechanical engineering district of Modena, and which at the beginning of the 21st century had become the world leader in the production of bulk material handling and dust filtration machinery. The article focuses in particular on the strategy of growth and internationalization that this company has pursued and its effects in both the foreign subsidiaries and in the Italian industrial district it originated from.