A Few Words on GERPISA's Seventh International Colloquium

GERPISA members know this already : our annual international conferences represent steps taken in the successive development of our international research programs. The results of work carried out during the year are presented and debated at these colloquiums. Necessary conceptual clarifications are made, GERPISA's investigative method is refined, and partial conclusions which seem to have value for most of us are thus presented. However, our colloquiums also represent an opportunity to invite personalities who do not belong to our network, people whose work interests us. It also is the occasion to visit automobile sites themselves. From both these standpoints, this year's 7th annual encounter will be a rice one.

First of all, we have the honor of receiving Mr. Jean Jacques PAYAN who will inaugurate the conference. At present, Mr. Payan holds an important position at the French Ministry of National Education and Research on questions related to links between firms and research. Previously, Mr. Payan was the Director of Research at Renault, and therefore is very much aware of our activities. He will provide us with his thoughts on the subject which has been suggested to him.

We then are pleased to have Ms. Suzanne BERGER and Mr Tim STURGEON from MIT, respectively directors of the "Industrial Performance Center" globalization program, and the present-day IMVP program. We have agreed to engage mutually in a debate over our results. Robert Boyer, Yannick Lung and I will attend the IPC-IMVP conference from September 28th to October 1st 1999 at Cambridge (United States). We are particularly pleased that exchanges between the IPC-IMVP are possible today and both sides hope that they will lead to very fruitful results.

The third event of our international conference will be the round table on mergers-acquisitions-alliances, already mentioned in a previous editorial. Specialists of the question have been invited and we will be able to exchange and confront knowledge we have accumulated on the automobile sector with that of other sectors.

The fourth event of the conference will be a visit to a plant, which traditionally takes place the Monday following the colloquium. This visit will be a special one because we will be guided through Renault's Technocenter. Following that of Chrysler, Renault's Technocenter was conceived not only to assemble all persons involved in vehicle conception and industrialization, but also to allow them to work simultaneously and with shorter delays, among themselves and along with suppliers. It is significant to know that today this Renault site has the largest number of workers, far more than its assembly plants. The visit will be particularly instructive with regards to the importance that conception and ways to organize and rationalize it have become. Last but not least, a cocktail will be held to celebrate the publication of GERPISA's books (Oxford University Press, MacMillan and La Déocuverte). At this occasion, we will be able to thank our network members who, without having contributed directly to these books, neverthless provided enriching elements throughout debates, work groups, and international reunions. Conference participants will benefit from a 25% discount. See you all soon in Paris !

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