Evaluating the competitive position of the Rotterdam Petrochemical Cluster

The paper reviews literature from various sources in order to identify the leading factors affecting the competitive position of the contemporary petrochemical cluster, located at the port of Rotterdam. The study reveals that a mega-trend of an industry shift towards the East and a rapidly expanding production in the US are the two major pressure points for the cluster. The paper then proceeds to evaluate the potential impacts of these shifts and compare the Rotterdam cluster to other similar clusters in Europe. Conclusively, a scenario evaluation presents an array of possible future developments and their outcomes. The study concludes that the cluster is in a strong competitive position, as it enjoys good collaboration with other clusters under the ARRR label, and it benefits from unique geographic advantages, however immediate action and restructuring will be required in order to maintain the benefits of these advantages in the long run.