The Competitive Advantage of the Violin Industrial Cluster in Cremona

Located in Northern Italy, the town of Cremona is one of the world’s greatest violin making clusters, dating back to the 16th century; to the father of violin making, Andrea Amati. The violins in Cremona made by his protégés, Stradivari and Guarneri, are still played today by top performers, adding an essential part to the art of music performance. This paper explains the advent of craftsmanship, the source of competitive advantage (Porter 1998), and the dynamism of human communication resulting from experimental studies in Cremona. Having explored the dynamism of the source of craftsmanship in Cremona, the premise is that specific knowledge can be promoted in the international industrial environment where all members compose a "Ba (Interactive Field)" or the platform of communication through daily face-to-face information exchange made possible by geographical proximity. Furthermore, a wide variety of individuals with skill and knowledge helps bring a greater dynamic to the "Ba". Certainly, these resources brought intellectual development to the culture and social capital of Cremona. This integration of intellectual communication has taken place exclusively within the specified geographical area. It is due to the intellectual development of the "Ba" in and around Cremona that its violins have elevated in quality and value as highly sought after instruments. These contributions to the culture of craftsmanship in Cremona have succeeded. Even with the contemporary development of communication system, the necessity of human communication supports the successes and innovations of craftsmanship