The industry of ornamental stones of the northwest region of the Rio de Janeiro State is a Local Productive Arrangement of significant economic importance. Despite this fact, companies make use of rudimentary techniques that cause serious environmental and competitiveness problems. Aware of the fact that the main difficulty that this industry faced in the past was the lack of appropriate technology, many research, government and civil society organizations have been striving to develop and disseminate technologies. The aim of this study is to identify and describe the factors that hinder the process of dissemination of each of the technologies developed for this local industry. Explanatory, descriptive and explanatory multiple case studies were carried out, in which multiple sources of evidence were used, such as literature review, semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and industry professionals, and technical visits to local companies. The results pointed out hindrances to the dissemination of such technologies, especially for small firms, such as: lack of qualification of entrepreneurs and workforce, resistance to change within the companies, and difficulties in terms of articulation, since financial resources and institutional support for innovation are widely available.
Technological innovation; Environmental impacts; Ornamental stone industry
