Povl Adler Hansen

Will low technology products disappear?: The hidden innovation processes in low technology industries

Abstract Political discussions and analyses have usually been devoted to an understanding of the development of high technology products, although low technology products have dominated the industrial structure of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The important role of low technology products in these countries raises the question of whether we can observe a technological paradox in the industrial structure of the more advanced nations, the dominant role of this sector in spite of its competitive disadvantages because of high wages. Using the Danish packaging industry as an example, a central thesis in the article is that innovation processes are important in low technology industries. They are also often an integrated part of the marketing and production functions of the firm. The innovation processes in the low technology industries are therefore too complex for traditional R&D analyses to handle. The article points out that—especially in small firms—the “practical man” and his “tacit knowledge” play a very central role in both product and process development, and that low technology, even in the future, will play a central role in the industrial structure of the OECD countries.

Publicly produced knowledge for business: When is it effective?

Abstract This article discusses the process of innovation in terms of patents and knowledge transfer from public sector research institutions and private inventors to industry. It also discusses the results of the Danish patent dissemination system in relation to international results, and includes a review of what has happened to the patents that have been mediated by the public sector to industry. The great majority of the inventions patented were never produced. Most of these inventions were either not fully developed or not adjusted to market requirements. The conclusion is that it is very difficult to implement outside knowledge in commercial companies, and that public technology policy is greatly influenced by the ‘science push’ idea.

Rescaling or Institutional Flexibility? The Experience of the Cross-border Øresund Region

This article is based on the experience of the cross-border integration processes across the Øresund strait which separates Denmark from Sweden, and the related institutional and spatial interaction processes. The role of ‘space of flows’ and that of ‘space of place’, or territory, will be examined in relation to this cross-border integration. Several related questions will be addressed: has there been a re-scaling in the form of new cross-border institutions or have existing national and regional institutional structures been able to adapt to the new landscape to which the cross-border integration has given rise? Does a process exist whereby the ‘problem’ and its solution are readily identified and absorbed by existing institutional structures with actions carried out through ‘selective competence delegation’? Based on two case studies, the integration of the labour market and the creation of a cross-border public railway network, the article discusses the institutional and spatial challenges which are consequences of and a context for the co-operation processes in the Øresund Region.

Integration strategies and barriers to co‐operation in cross‐border regions: Case study of the Øresund region

Abstract The purpose of the article is to analyze strategies for cross‐border integration in the Øresund Region. The point of departure is that the development of strategies for cross‐border integration is dependent on the development on both the general level in the EU and deregulation of economy and business on the global level. In this respect, the article points out the importance of market forces and their influence on institutional change. Recent economic crises have put growth center stage at both the national and regional level, and have called for regional development programs on both the Swedish and Danish sides of the Sound. The strengths and weaknesses of the Øresund Regions ‘traditional’ and new institutions as instruments for change are examined. The article identifies and discusses the structures, institutions, and players which are the driving forces in the field between markets and institutions.

Adaptability and product development in the Danish plastics industry

Abstract Development of new materials and material shifts play an increasing role in the development of industrial production. The main issue of this paper is the ability of the industry to adapt to new materials with point of departure in the Danish plastics industry. This study shows that it has been difficult for established firms in Denmark, both within the plastics industry and outside, to undertake shifts in technology. According to our study there have been principally two reasons for this. On the one hand the integration of the firms in the industrial structure and on the other hand the learning process in the firms themselves. The study also shows that firms most open to material adaptation have been firms based on product ideas not on materials. Another finding is that the Danish plastics industry has been characterized by high growth rates despite low R&D figures. The reasons for this are on the one hand the ability of Danish plastics firms to exploit existing know-how and on the other hand the increased specialization of the firms. Furthermore the study shows that neither institutional R&D nor institutional education has played any noticable role in the adaptation process of the Danish plastics industry.

Materials and strategies for successful innovation and competition in the metal packaging industry

Abstract Recent discussions about technological development and innovation have omitted some important issues: innovation development in so-called low-technology industries; the important role played by material technology not only in high-technology industries, but in the adaptation processes in most industries. These discussions often lack a historical perspective. Many contemporary issues, such as integrated product development and networking, have been central to industrial production for more than one hundred years. Each of these is discussed in this study of the emergence and development of the metal packaging industry over the last two hundred years. An important research question is the influence of material development on the development of strategies, dominant designs, and the overall adaptability of the industry. Against this background we cannot speak of one single successful strategy. In Denmarks can manufacturing industry a non-innovative strategy, characterized by volume and rationalization and based on licensing from the U.S., was developed. In tube production, however, a strategy of incremental innovation for solving problems related to the use of existing materials emerged based on the industrys own innovation resources, financed by world-wide licensing. Thus licensing played an important role for the technological adaptability of the industry.

Agglomeration or Cross-border ICT Cluster? The Öresund Region

Following the recent intense debate about clusters and cluster development, consensus has emerged that innovation and firm’s competitive powers are not only based on the firm’s own ability to develop knowledge into technological solutions, but are also dependent on the firm’s relations to other firms and local capabilities and infrastructure. The character of these external relations and the forms which best suit innovation and productivity growth are however still under discussion. It is of prime importance whether these external relations can be characterized as agglomerations or clusters, not the least for policy development. It is, therefore, a central issue in this context whether the ICT (information communication technology) sector in the Oresund region is characterized by agglomeration or clusters. Because the Oresund region is a cross-border region (Sjaelland (Zealand) in Denmark and Skane (Scania) in southern Sweden), the second issue that will be discussed is the possibilities and barriers for integrating the region’s ICT sector. Despite the EU’s support for cross-border regionalization, there has been little academic interest in the possibilities for developing clusters or agglomerations in cross-border regions. In contrast our agglomeration and cluster discussion focuses on cross-border issues and the consequences for policy.

Material development and the adaptability of the industrial structure

Abstract With the rapid development of new materials in recent decades, material adaptability has increasingly come into the focus of innovation theory. This article shows that material adaptability has involved special problems for enterprises. This is not least because a shift in material technology constitutes a more fundamental intervention in industrial production than other kinds of technological change. On the basis of Danish examples, this article discusses material adaptation processes in industry and barriers to such adaptation. The article attempts to answer two questions. What is the significance of various development strategies for the adaptability of companies to new materials? And what lessons can be learned from previous adaptation processes, against the particular background of the introduction of plastic materials in industrial production? The article discusses the role of materials as stabilizing and destabilizing factors in the industrial structure, and in this connection the importance of “learning by doing,” “user-producer relations” and the role of raw material suppliers in the process of adaptation to new materials.