THE MODERNIZATION OF PRODUCTION IN THE FRENCH AUTOMOBILE-INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE WARS - A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY

The following article combines an analysis of production techniques in the French automobile industry between the wars and a rich supply of photographs that visually document the course of innovation in the induStry. The text and illustrations show that, though production managers at Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault were aware of the methods of Henry Ford and Frederick W. Taylor, they adapted them to specific situations within the French industry and within their own companies. By looking specifically at the work of Ernest Mattern, who held production responsibilities at both Peugeot and Citroen and observed Renault as well, the essay traces the incremental changes in the organization of automobile manufacturing in France before the Second World War.