Rock ‘n Roller Coaster: An Explorative Study on the Evolution of the European Steel Roller Coaster Industry

This article investigates the 50 years evolution of the European steel roller coaster industry, which can be classified as a complex products systems (CoPS) industry. This industry is characterized as a non-shake out industry where entry can be divided in three waves, i.e. early diversifiers, new technological entrants, and late diversifiers and spin-off dynamics. Diversified entry can be further separated in firms with market relatedness, i.e. firms that have been active in the amusement industry prior to entry, and technological relatedness, i.e. firms that have experience from different industries but their technological competences enable them to manufacturing (often technological more advanced) steel roller coaster. Despite the fact that this industry is a non-shake out industry, we observe acquisition of the intangible and tangible assets of those firms that (are close to) exit by the firms that remain in the industry, which might be considered a sign of industry resilience.