Value network collaborations for innovations in an aerospace company

The aerospace products are complex and require integration of complementary knowledge and risk sharing among several firms. The aerospace industry is, thus, characterized by an intensive net of collaborations among firms working on aerospace products' systems, sub-systems and components manufacturing and with Governments, public and private research centres and other actors. Furthermore, the product, process and organizational innovations are important to preserve and increase the firm competitiveness improving the excellences in specific fields and the productivity. A case study based on the innovation activities supported by inter-firm collaborations in an aerospace company is object of the paper and has been developed applying the content analysis on a set of interviews. Types of innovation activities and external relations emerge from the study and their integration is analyzed highlighting difference among innovation activities based on the type and quantity of external relations.