EXCELLENCIES MEET: A SUPPORT NETWORK TO HELP THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRAFT AND SMALL ENTERPRISES

THE STARTING POINT

“Craft and small enterprises represent about 98% of european companies. Varying according to different member countries, these companies employ 40 to 65% of workers of the private sector and contribute to the private sector’s sales proceeds with a share that ranges from 25 to 55%. They provide 10 to 20% of total exports (export towards other countries or towards member countries) and about 80% of their activities is carried out at a local or regional level”.

These data, reported in the introduction to the 4th edition of “Challenges and opportunities for craft and small enterprises in the European Single Market – Stuttgart 16/17 April 2007”, are an excellent starting point for the following consideration:

- craft and small enterprises are, for several reasons, the spine of europe’s productive system;
- this is even more evident in Italy, where PMI incidence is higher than european average;
- because of their stong local basis, these craft and small enterprises are an essential support to local economy and social system.

The features that make craft and small enterprises so precious and peculiar (specialization, number, accurate diffusion and presence on local territory), are at the same time the features that make them more vulnerable to the consequences of challenges presented by european enlargement and globalization. Difficulties related to changes that took place in the last years, among which aleatory prices of raw materials, the need to adapt to new laws and the competition with developing countries, make adequate responses more difficult for companies who confont themselves with dimensional problems.

OBJECTIVE

The project’s objective is to create a support and development network for PMI at a europen level. Such a network - created by putting togheter local institutions, entrepreneurial PMI partnerships, educational institutions, societies which offer services to enterprises, etc. – will provide support services regarding internationalization and development issues. It will do so also by using territorial ramifications already created by partners in their intitutional role, presenting itself as a network of networks. These services will have the double objective of allowing an easier international exchange between PMI and of creating, with the help of innovative services, good practices, lessons learnt and thesaurus services, a system incubator for the development of PMI in a transnational view.

The network plans on being a response to PMI needs to go behind dimensional problems, to have access to new markets and to use more extensive and spread out services. The objective is to reunite in a single network several structures aimed at offering services to PMI.

Structuring will be based on two criteria: sector-based competence (kind of services offered) and territorial competence.

As far as sector-based competence is concerned, the idea is to co-opt available excellencies in the sectors of commercial promotion, fulfillment of burocratic procedures, provision of services for development, project management and engeneering, sector-based representation, analisys and economic-financial support, logistical services, etc.

Such a network will have to be able to support companies both in their autonomous development and good practices exchange and in their research and offering of coordinated and integrated services and of a commercial, dimensional and quality development of craft and small companies.

Territorial competence of structures involved will have to be able to offer an adequate service at a national and international level.

TERRITORIAL COMPETENCE OF NETWORK PARTICIPANTS

Territorial competence of structures involved in the project will have to be sufficient to enable the offer of services adequate to both the national and the international level. As far as the national level is concerned, structures participating in the network will have to have competencies at least at a provincial level. Another requisite is being part of the European Union. More in detail, the network will see the participation of trade unions, employer associations, consortium, local services networks, Chambers of Commerce, local institutions, etc.

- TRADE UNIONS
- EMPLOYER ASSOCIATIONS
- CONSORTIUM
- LOCAL SERVICES NETWORKS
- CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
- LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
- RESEARCH CENTRES
- RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS

SECTOR-BASED COMPETENCE OF NETWORK PARTICIPANTS

Structures involved will have to be able to offer services aimed at supporting PMI development. Accurate research aimed at understanding needs will have to be undertaken at a local level; however, it is already possible to make assumptions on the principal competencies and activity areas to involve in the Artnet project network.

- INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE
- CREDIT CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTS
- TRADE FAIR AND CONGRESS ORGANIZATION
- LOGISTICS
- LEGAL AND TRIBUTARY CONSULTANCY
- CREATION OF PARTNERSHIPS
- PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
- PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION