Titanium Implants: A Competence Bloc Comparison of a Swedish Firm and an Ohio Firm

In this chapter we narrow the focus even further compared to the previous chapters. Whereas Chapter 7 studies the technological system for biomaterials, a subsystem within the biomedical cluster, the present chapter examines the emergence and commercialization of two new technologies involving biomaterials — namely, titanium implants. The purpose is to compare the performance and dynamics of two biomedical firms, one in Sweden and one in Ohio. Each firm is viewed in the context of the competence bloc of which it is a part, and the various supporting functions of the competence bloc are analyzed.