Re-designing International Supply chains: The Case of North East Italian Apparel Companies in Romania

The internationalisation of operations in Romania by North-East Italian companies is so an increasingly disruptive phenomenon that many commentators point it out as a sort of "unique" in industrial relocation and in the relationships between Western and Eastern European economies. This paper aims to analyse and understand, with regard to such mature industries like footwear and apparel, the why, what and how of the supply chain internationalisation of Veneto-based (i.e. the main North-East Italian region) companies in Romania. The study is based on 11 in-depth case studies of firms involved in relocating production to Romania. The Veneto-Romania case constitutes an example of: a) how robust and resilient existing industrial systems in Western European Economies can be, and b) how firms from emerging economies can be integrated into supply chains with positive outcomes for all the actors.