# Disruptive Innovation in Traditional Clusters:
## 5 Case Study: The Kerajet Development
### Technology Development and Success  
As has been mentioned, the Kerajet team had to cope with two technical problems that required knowledge from outside the cluster. Having selected the technology (piezo electric drop-on-demand), they had to select a print head producer who could adapt to ceramic tile decorations. It has to be emphasized that this effort was carried out entirely by Kerajet by travelling outside of Spain to the United Kingdom and Japan and meeting leading printhead producers, since Asian digital printing producers had only marketing infrastructure in Spain. After various trials and mishaps with XAAR (this firm was reluctant to invest in tile ceramics since they thought in 2005 that the foreseeable market did not justify the needed R&D investment and waited until three years later to advance technologically in this sector), the technology leader in print heads, they reached an agreement with Seiko to develop print heads specifically designed for ceramic tile applications (Seiko took care of the piezoelectric system and Kerajet handled the microelectronics). This cooperation lasted from 2002 to 2009. Additionally, Kerajet had to equip a laboratory to pilot test print heads for cleaning, drop analysis, and other tasks, and reached agreements to develop software with external research labs.  
In relation to the inks required for the application, it soon became clear for the entrepreneurial team that the state-of-the-art pigment technology (based on inorganic soluble salts) was not compatible with the print heads required for inkjet technology. In this area, there were two apparent problems.  
Kerajet's MNE partner was reluctant to invest heavily in the new technology and there were technology barriers for producing the new organic pigments due to the fact that the pigment size, which required avoiding obstructing the print heads, could not be successfully handled with ceramic tile milling technology. Then, Kerajet built a small lab in their premises to pilot the new ink's development, utilizing nanotechnology micromills. They also tested new organic solvents to produce the required inks. Thus, by 2004 they had already developed relevant advances in the technology, using print heads and inks that solved the most acute problems associated with ceramic tile inkjet decoration.  
It must be emphasized that incumbent firms in the Italian mechanical equipment sector were reluctant to follow the new developments, in spite of them featuring in all relevant European ceramic tile fairs and exhibitions. These firms were slow to react to the new developments. It was not until 2007 that the leading firm System signed an agreement with Kerajet, with the intention of cannibalizing its own Rotocolor technology (Kerajet had a temporary agreement with System, inventor of Rotocolor, to integrate its technology into their system), and Sacmi registered its own patent with powder injection in 2008.  
It can be concluded that by 2005, Kerajet was the leader and the pioneer in inkjet technology. Its printers had been recognized internationally at the Tecnargilla Fair (International Exhibition for Tile Ceramics Equipment) in September 2004 in Rimini, Italy. The firm developed and commercialized not only conveyor inkjet printers, but also a large flat-bed printer with moving print heads.