Utveckling av ett regionalt strategiskt nätverk i symbios med en krävande kund

Regional Strategic Networks (RSNs) have been used for over 20 years to support regional business development. A typical RSN project involves a number of local companies forming a network to learn from each other and increase their competitiveness. An organization, or intermediary, is assigned project ownership with managerial responsibilities. This often takes place with public funding support. The concept has faced criticism for being inefficient since positive effects, such as growth and increased employment, have been difficult to achieve. This study aims to understand what is required for an RSN to survive long-term and become part of a business network, thus providing results regarding growth and increased employment. This is a longitudinal single case study of an RSN in Ludvika. Factors such as actors, resources, and activities have been examined over time to understand how they interact. Data collection was primarily conducted through interviews with RSN member companies and the intermediary. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the purchasing function of a key customer and with municipal decision-makers in the region. The interviews were also supplemented by document studies, observation, and participant observation. The RSN, which was established in 2011, survived after support funding ended and became established in a business network. A key contributing factor was the intermediary, Samarkand, a local development company with both municipal and private owners, which provided the project with credibility and continuity after the support funding ceased. The project manager at Samarkand leveraged their network with ABB to build relationships between the RSN’s suppliers and ABB, ultimately leading to a business breakthrough with ABB when RSN activities could be tied to concrete deliveries of goods and services. RSN´s have generally been used for regional development but with varying levels of success. Previous research highlights that RSN´s should be based on already established relationships to achieve tangible results and that is also confirmed by this study. In order to make progress the operations of the RSN should be linked to companies’ value-creating processes.