• ARA model
• Automation industry
• Business relations
• Network
• Partners

Business relationships are a critical intangible asset for each company involved in an industry network, even if not always recognized and properly estimated. Therefore, little has been written regarding the key role of the cooperation between different players in a business environment, especially focusing on a B2B market such as the Industrial Automation sector.
This thesis analyzes the impact that these links have on a firm’s business, taking into consideration different elements and contextualizing them in the Sensors-Safety and Machine Vision industry.
To this aim, a field application is provided, involving three established companies: Datalogic S.p.A., M.D. Micro Detectors and Datasensing S.r.l.
An interview and a case study are both reported and examined, concerning the cooperation Datalogic has had with one of its partners in the distribution channel. Moreover, to ensure a higher relevance to the elaborate, this focus is related to the ARA model, a well-known framework specifically needed to evaluate the business relationships between partners in business organizations.

Business relationships are a critical intangible asset for each company involved in an industry network, even if not always recognized and properly estimated. Therefore, little has been written regarding the key role of the cooperation between different players in a business environment, especially focusing on a B2B market such as the Industrial Automation sector. This thesis analyzes the impact that these links have on a firm’s business, taking into consideration different elements and contextualizing them in the Sensors-Safety and Machine Vision industry. To this aim, a field application is provided, involving three established companies: Datalogic S.p.A., M.D. Micro Detectors and Datasensing S.r.l. An interview and a case study are both reported and examined, concerning the cooperation Datalogic has had with one of its partners in the distribution channel. Moreover, to ensure a higher relevance to the elaborate, this focus is related to the ARA model, a well-known framework specifically needed to evaluate the business relationships between partners in business organizations.