ABSTRACT
This chapter account for the decentralization, from the north-west to the south, of branch plants which belong to some of the largest, private talian manufacturing corporations, and to assess the employment and growth impact of these investments in their areas of location. Since the spatial decentralization of production is an integral part of the restructuring of the labour process in Fiat, it is appropriate that this chapter should begin with an analysis of latter. The factory employs a large labour force, contains the full production cycle and has experienced important technological and organizational changes so it is an appropriate example for the study of restructuring. In such market conditions, producers have sought to make appropriate process innovations (e.g. automation) in order to raise productivity and reduce production costs. The possibility of rapid, mass production of low-price commodities was provided by a form of technical, social and hierarchical division of labour which allowed the maximum reduction of unit time and costs.
