Intra-firm variations of technological capabilities accumulation paths: The Brazilian mining industry

Abstract

Much progress has been made since the 1970s in terms of understanding the technological capabilities accumulation process at the firm level in emerging economies. However, there are still few studies that deal with the nature and dynamics of technological capabilities accumulation trajectories in natural resources industries. This contributes to a debate, still inconclusive but mainly with a negative view, about the role of industries related to natural resources for economic, industrial, and technological development. So, here, we explored technological capabilities accumulation paths in natural resources industries in the context of emerging economies. To achieve this goal, the research draws on a qualitative and inductive research design on primary evidence based on extensive fieldwork. This research design is operated from a single in-depth case study at mining firm Vale between 1940 - 2020, within three major technology areas: prospecting and mineral exploration, mining, and mineral processing. Through the implementation of this strategy, the research found distinct paths between the three areas: (i) in mineral prospecting and research, there was a technological follower path that achieved global leadership position in innovation and production; (ii) mining area also showed up a technological follower path that achieves global leadership position in innovation and production, however, with late accumulation of technological capabilities; and (iii) the area of mineral processing showed an early entrance of a world leader in innovation and production from the creation of a distinct path already mapped by global leaders. The technological capabilities accumulation paths became similar in 2011 when the three areas presented a world leader in innovation. The findings contribute to understanding the accumulation of technological capabilities process in mining firms, offering detailed empirical insights and highlighting the industry's potential for significant innovations.