dc.description.abstract | This paper aims at analyzing the metal mechanic industrial complex located in the Vale do Rio do Sinos, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, by evaluating its competitivity. The complex is made of 1157 companies, which generate 20.620 direct
jobs, being 97, 06% of them micro and small companies producing to different sectors of the economy. However, most of these companies integrate the local productive systems (clusters) related to the shoe industry, this fact shows a sector dichotomy. A questionnaire based on competitivity, growth and diversification was applied to 09 companies - 04 of them integrate the local productive system related to the shoe industry, and the other 05 produce to different sectors of the economy: agribusiness, furniture industry, oil companies, mining, roads and infrastructure,
mainly . In terms of competitivity, it has been noticed that companies apply similar strategies; however, the ones integrating the local productive system present small
competitivity variation, showing that such | en |