Understanding how the relationships between subcontractors and customers change as the formers’ capabilities evolve is a crucial aspect to gain new insights about subcontractors’ competitive advantage. This paper investigates the relationship between the evolution of subcontractors’ capabilities and the profile of their customer relationships portfolio. In particular we focus on two subcontractors’ capabilities: design and marketing capabilities. We study the customers’ relationships’ portfolio of 62 subcontractors located in the mechanical industrial district of Pordenone (North East of Italy). Several research propositions linking subcontractors’ capabilities with the profile of their customers relationship portfolios are advanced. Academic and managerial implications are drawn and discussed.
