From equipment to an integrated system : onboard car electronics

Onboard car electronics symbolises changes in the car industry, because it combines new forms of project management with the remarkable development of the electronics industry. For many decades, technical evolution has been such that the producers are progressively forced to concentrate on their key skills, transferring more and more of their activities to their suppliers. Joint-development partnerships change companies one after another. Relationships between clients and suppliers are not necessarily stabile either. In these extremely turbulent times, strategies are constantly changing and each innovation is likely to jeopardise the position. If it is difficult today to identify a future role for the equipment suppliers, what then are the strategies and organisational structures which can be adopted ?