Abstract
The automotive industry enumerates real giants in which there are important engineering and R&D units, sinergically integrated into each other.
Compared to them, the suppliers, even those of safety parts, are often very poor from the point of view of optimizing and validating the project choices as they do not have sufficient resources to dedicate to those functions, due to their modest proportions.
The access to specializing structures, able to support the product improvement, is therefore an essential competitiveness factor for the supply systems operating through a network of small and medium enterprises (PMI).
In the memory, reference is made to some experiences in the optimization of products for cars and motor vehicles, produced by PMI, based on the possibility to simulate the operating conditions.
From the examples given, some considerations appear about the requirements to be complied with in order to ensure the supply fabric a lasting development, in compliance with the quality characteristics required by the utility.