SMEs in Global Value Chains of Automotive and Precision Instruments Industies: A Preliminary Analysis

This paper contains an uneven but parallel analysis of the automotive and precision instrument industries, and looks at the specific issues related to the role of SMEs in manufacturing in general. The authors conclude that in order to have a comprehensive view of the role that SMEs play in value chains attention should be paid to their innovative capacity but also to the way fruits of this capacity are shared along the value chain.