The Recruitment and Management of Engineers at Alais, Froges and Camargue during the Interwar Years

Between the two world wars Alais, Froges et Camargue (AFC) enriched its technical staff by recruiting qualified engineers. At the same time, certain management procedures specific to engineers were established. These were characterized by the company's stronger control over the engineers. The objective of this paper is to analyze the management of an engineer's career by drawing on correspondence preserved in individual personnel files. We will show how letters of commitment, signed by the engineers, reinforced their subordination to the central management of AFC. Similarly, in this period, we witness an increase in the professional obligations of engineers and a classification of professional performance upon which depended the progress of their careers.