Technology transfer to what we refer to as the LDC (Lesser Developed Countries) is and should be an ongoing process in which the automotive engineers of the more advanced countries take pride in sharing their accomplishments, provided they are not of a proprietary nature.
The theme of the Seventh International Pacific Conference (IPC-7) on Automotive Engineering is “GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE INTEGRATION”. That theme is synonymous with the term ‘technology transfer’ in every sense of the word. To transfer technology is to integrate.
Much of the technology transfer throughout the world is via the academic system because it is seldom considered proprietary at that level. Once the engineer and his technology become the property of private enterprise or a government, the technology transfer tends to cease. However, in the case of manufacturer's joint ventures with companies in the LDC, a certain amount of technology is transmitted as a matter of necessity. Often the engineers working for the companies of the LDC are compelled to obtain much of their technology input through engineering seminars, trade journals, conferences, and simply by procuring and carefully analyzing the finished product of the competitor.
There is yet another approach to seeking the desired technology transfer required by manufacturers in the LDC. One which is often overlooked, but highly effective as a training aid that gives the recipient the most current ‘state of the art’ creative techniques without encroaching upon technology of a propriety nature. This is the workshop/seminar approach whereby the client in the LDC contracts to bring a group of professionals in their respective fields to the client's premises for a hands-on training session with selected members of their creative research and design groups.
This paper will explore the ramifications for setting up and conducting an automotive conceptual design workshop/seminar in a Lesser Developed Country.