- Page 1- Co-development to the test of intensive innovation : towards new forms of organisation for innovative design in the case of car manufacturers and component makers Authors : Armand Hatchuel, Pascal Le Masson, Benoit Weil CGS, Ecole des Mines de Paris 75272 Paris Cedex 06 Tel : (33) 1 40 51 92 21 Lemasson@paris.ensmp.fr ; hatchuel@paris.ensmp.fr ; bweil@paris.ensmp.fr Summary : Innovation is once again becoming a key competitive factor in the automobile industry. It no longer concerns the car manufacturers alone, so how can innovation in the car industry be managed when development is shared between the manufacturers and the component suppliers ? Who can promote innovation ? A study carried out at Saint-Gobain over a period of several years indicated that traditional co-development models show their limits when faced with repeated, intensive innovation. It illustrated the forms of design organisation that are compatible with the new rate of innovation, for both car manufacturers and component suppliers. Putting the accent on innovation gives design a special role, in that it becomes a critical factor for the configuration of industrial automobile networks. In 1999, during a seminar at the Ecole des Mines on the « car of the future », Carlos Goshn, then vice-president of the Renault Group, declared that the company’s success in its market was due to four major innovations. The first three were vehicles (the Twingo, Espace and Scénic) ; the fourth concerned a property of a solar control component for windscreens, which was entirely manufactured outside the company. This new accessory, on the way to being indispensable for thermal comfort, reflects the sun’s infrared rays that make the temperature rise inside the car, but is of course invisible to the human eye. This blue-tinged glass has given Renault vehicles a distinctive touch for more than two years now, contributing to the image of an innovative company sought by the car manufacturer. This brief example is most revealing : the fever for innovation is spreading. It has become the watchword with several car manufacturers, the basis of their growth strategy (Freyssenet et al. 1998) and a key competitive edge between firms, which increasingly involve their suppliers in this race for new products, new functions and new services.