Work organisation and innovation: Case study: FAVI, France

FAVI is an SME based in Hallencourt in the Picardy region of France. It is a pressure die-casting company specialising in copper alloys that currently employs 406 people. The company designs, optimises, smelts, machines and assembles copper alloy pieces. In the automotive subcontracting sector, which has been hard hit by delocalisation, FAVI is the undisputed leader in the gearbox market. Guided by the imperative of protecting local jobs and safeguarding the company’s future, the SME is convinced that the key to success is to ensure that it is organised, via mini-factories each dedicated to a particular client (PSA, Renault, Volvo, Audi, etc.). The company's motto is ‘Par et pour le client’ (‘By and for the client’).