This paper is part of the project named 'Coordinating Competencies and Knowledge in the Auto Industry' (CoCKEAS) carried on by some research groups associated to GERPISA International Network and subdivided in five work packages. This one is conventionally indicated as workpackage N.1. It is focused upon the analysis of the evolution of the relationship between automakers (Original Equipment Manufacturers -OEMs) and the specific type of suppliers who directly interact with them, also carrying out the task of coordinating a hierarchy of other suppliers which are located upwards in the automobile supply chain. This specific type of suppliers, occupying the higher place in a multilevel hierarchy, are labelled First Tier Suppliers (FTSs). The paper analyses the recent evolutions that are characterising this part of the supply chain with particular attention to: the redefinition of the division of labour between OEMs and component suppliers; the transformation induced by the process of internationalisation and globalisation; the growth in outsourcing; the design of shared platforms; the impact of innovation and modular production on the restructuring of the automotive industry; the major trends in the new pattern of production processes organisation and the likely transformations induced by the growing role of ICT.

The search for competitiveness in automobile assembly is tending towards more cautious and selected investment inflexible automation technology. During the 1980s a number of car makers were lured by the myth of computer-integrated manufacturing, but recent surveys show that approaches to automation (especially in final assembly) have changed. This longitudinal study illustrates, on the basis of a plant survey, the automation strategy of Fiat Auto, one of the world's largest auto producers, tracing its evolution from the experiments of the 19 70s driven by industrial relations pressures, to the 'pan-technologist' philosophy underlying the 'highly automated factory' of the 1980s, to the more realistic concepts inspiring the 'Fabbrica Integrata'organizational model of the 1990s. The paper shows that the implementation of automation techniques and the development of related know-how have a cumulative and path-dependent nature. Furthermore, it is argued that the technologies used in a firm's plants result from a non-linear learning process, based on & the internal development, external acquisition, imitation, analogical replication, *> combination and selection of capabilities. The knowledge incorporated into technologies \ becomes an integral part of a firm's repertoire of capabilities. Parts of this knowledge can z be retrieved over time, to become modules of original technological solutions. Similarly, the "2 necessity to imitate competitors who have successfully implemented organizational | paradigms based on lean manufacturing in order to respond to the 'regime of variety' can cause a mismatch between the existing and the desired technological trajectory of a firm. 'The reseach consisted of two visits to each of the following plants: Rivalta, Miration, Cassino, Termoli and Melfi. Plant managers (at different levels) and union representatives have been interviewed (total of 100 hr). The data presented have been elaborated using information kindly provided by Fiat Auto Co. Time series have been constructed on the basis of the data provided by the production engineering corporate staff. This paper does not extend the analysis to stamping and painting.

This article analyses the evolution of Product Life Cycle (PLC) policies of main carmakers in the three main European markets (Germany, Italy and France) through sales data regarding 212 models of 13 major carmakers for the period 1970–2006. A subsample including more detailed data (sales and features) of 125 car models along the period 1984–2005 has been investigated with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of product innovation and product line extension. According to our results, PLC is getting dramatically shorter, but the reduction does not apply to maturity and saturation phases. Carmakers tend to support sales with a policy of product line extension, while no evidence of effectiveness of such policies emerges. Product innovation seems related to increase in sales, although the introduction of new models and versions is generally delayed with respect to the optimal Life Cycle (LC) timing

The objective of the paper is interpreting, from an evolutionary perspective, recent developments of work organization and human resource management policies at Fiat Auto, one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, which achieved a successful restructuring in the early 1990s. Building on a heritage of adversarial labour relations and 'mass production' organizational principles, Fiat developed an original and to some extent hybrid version of 'lean' human resource management practices (teamwork, flexible compensation, multiskilling, etc.).The paper analyses this process of organizational change from an evolutionary perspective based on the concept of dynamic capabilities. From this standpoint, IR. HRM and work organization practices are the result of a learning process, based on original development, imitation, analogical replication, combination and selection of organizational capabilities; organizational capabilities have a cumulative and path-dependent nature; workplace innovations are also rooted in organizational absorptive capacities, that is, the ability of firms to exploit new (and often extramural) organizational and HRM developments; the existence of complementarities among organizational competencies, assets and choices in term of HRM are likely to push toward the adoption of a set or system of (rather than single and insulated) innovations in work organization, HRM practices and industrial relations policies.The data provided in the paper show that the process of innovation of workplace practices at Fiat Auto (summarized by the concept of the Fubbricu Integrata) is curiously non-linear. The newly designed HRM policies have, on the one hand, been resisted by the unions (who have not been involved in the design process) and by segments of the work-force; on the other hand, they have been hindered by existing organizational features and personnel practices which, in turn, were key success factors during the 1980s. This inertia is significantly lower at the new greenfield plant of Melfi. On the whole, the restructuring process was successful from the competitive and financial standpoint, and represents the basis on which management and the unions can develop a new co-operative model of industrial relations.

GM and Fiat have formed a strategic industrial alliance, creating an important partnership for the companies in two of the world's largest automotive markets: Europe and Latin America.Observers think the alliance promises opportunities to create value for both Fiat and GM shareholders through significant synergies in such areas as parts cost reduction, optimisation of activities regarding powertrain modules, efficiency in financial service operations, cross-sharing of automotive technologies, common platforms and architectures.From the financial standpoint, GM and Fiat remain independent from one another and will continue to compete in markets around the world, even if GM has acquired a 20% stake in Fiat in exchange for, approximately, a 5% share of GM outstanding stocks.This article analyses the details of this operation, describes what has been done to date in terms of streamlining and synergies seeking in the two major areas of the alliance (powertrain and purchasing) and evaluates its impact, from the strategic and organisational perspectives, on the two partners. The article also focuses on the possible future evolution of the alliance, and tries to assess if shared ownership of assets fosters or hinders organisational learning and performance improvement processes.