Nuovi modelli di business e ruolo della manifattura nell’industria dei semiconduttori. Il caso LFoundry

Objectives. This paper analyzes the role of foundries, which represents a recent business model adopted by manufacturing firms in the semiconductor industry, in the light of technological and market changes that occurred in recent years. Methodology. The paper examines the phenomenon in question by developing a case study drawn from the experience of the only one Italian foundry, a company founded on the ashes of multinational companies who have decided to gradually divest from Italian territory. Findings. The article identifies the current challenges facing the manufacturing industry in a highly competitive and global industry, characterized by enormous pressure on the investment and prices. Research limits. The article focuses on a single case study, although this is representative of a segment of companies seeking to open new markets thanks to the exploitation of technological convergence in a sector characterized by a rigid evolutionary technology road map. Practical implications. The contribution raises some issues of particular importance in the Italian and European industrial scenario in a sector, the semiconductor industry, dominated by companies from the East Asia and America. Originality of the study. The paper provides an analysis of the new challenges manufacturing faces in the semiconductor industry through the identification of the so called inflection points, whose comprehension determines the viability of foundries in this sector.