Customer driven clusters : an Australian case study

Cluster literature has continued to develop over recent years as indust1y implements clusters into day to day operations and governments develop cluster based policy. Much of the literature is based on theory and anecdotal stories and there is a need for more empirically based research to be conducted on clusters. This paper reports on the drivers and barriers to cluster success in an Australian cluster in the aerospace industry. In particular, the experiences of three supply firms in this cluster are presented. While investigating the drivers and barriers associated with the cluster, this research uncovered many of the established issues such as trust, intellectual property issues and resource sharing. However it was also found that the driver of the cluster remained constant but the motivation for clustering and the champion of the cluster changed as the cluster progressed, ultimately impacting upon/he internal dynamics and evolution of the cluster.