Regional maritime clustercase of Kobe Japan

1
Regional maritime cluster-case of Kobe Japan

• Dr Han, Jong-Kil
• Research Fellow, Ocean Policy Research
  Foundation, Japan
• Dr Kenji ISHIDA
• Professor, Faculty of Maritime Sciences, Kobe
  University, Japan
• Yutaka Ito
• Faculty of Maritime Sciences, Kobe University,
  Japan

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Contents

• Introduction
• The rise and fall of Kobe maritime cluster
• Research on Maritime Specialist Opinions of Kobe
  Maritime Cluster
• How to reconstruct Kobe maritime cluster
• corrective actions for reconstruction
• Implications to Kobe maritime cluster
• -Reconstruct maritime cluster drivers

3
General Shape of Kobe Maritime Cluster
First Maritime Cluster in Asia
Birth Place of world class Maritime Companies
High profile of cluster effects
4
Ship Number and Tonnage (19262003)
95 Big earthquake in KOBE
45 World War ?
Declining of Kobe Port
Source Overview of Kobe Port(2005)
5
Decreasing Cluster Effects in Kobe
From Port Opening to 1970th
From early 1980th

• Decreasing transactions between regional
  companies
• Severe competition between regional companies
  (Disassembling or Demolition cooperation system)
• Increasing cessation of business

Strengthening Cycle
Clustering Maritime Industry Clustering
Development
- Effect
Effect
Growth of Cargo Volume Existence of Shippers

• Re-organization of carrier routes by carrier
• Changes in international trade structure
• Hollowing out of Customer migration to overseas

International Maritime City, Kobe
Weakening Cycle
Recession or Economic downturn
6
Research into Maritime Specialist Opinion for
Kobe Maritime Cluster

• Basic 4 Working Hypotheses
• Areas with maritime clusters receive clustering
  effects such as credit transactions.
• Cluster performance is influenced by the level of
  clustering effect.
• The level of clustering effect and cluster
  performance are affected by the cluster
  structure.
• Improving the clustering effect and forcing
  maritime cluster competitiveness requires various
  collective action programs

• Maritime specialist with 30 or more years
  experiences
• Period2005,7/158/16
• Sent 114 questionnaires and collected 44
  responses

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Questionnaires Responses
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Clustering Effect
9
Cluster Structure
10
Cluster Performance-Maritime Enterprise
Competitiveness in Kobe Maritime Cluster
11
Cluster Performance-Maritime Cluster
Infrastructure Level
12
Reconstructing Kobe Maritime Cluster - Corrective
Actions for Reconstruction
13
Integration with Neighbor Osaka
Kobe Osaka Kansai Regional Maritime Cluster
Knowledge based Maritime Cluster (Software Based)
V.S.
Port Cluster (Hardware Based)
14
Corrective Actions
15
Conclusion

• Clustering effects of Kobe maritime cluster are
  relatively low
• The low level of clustering effect is affected by
  lack of leading companies, existence of entry and
  exit barriers
• Maritime cluster competitiveness requires various
  collective action programs such as developing a
  core of high level maritime knowledge and a port
  cluster

16
Policy Implications

• Reconstruct the key cluster drivers
• From just single industry to Maritime Industry
• From Cargo movement to Maritime Business

Approaches from Viewpoint of Maritime Societies