A few words about your career path

Mathias Deschamps : It all began in 1994 as a plastics design engineer. Very quickly, I collaborated on iconic projects for Matra Automobile (Espace 3, Avantime) before joining the ‘commando’ team of the P72 project in 1998.

I officially joined the Matra teams in 2000. Since then, I have never left the Trappes site, supporting its successive transformations: the Pininfarina period (2003-2009) as Product Process Lead, and then under the SEGULA Technologies banner from 2009. There, I progressed from Project Manager to Director of the Bodywork Equipment Division, and today I hold the position of Program Director.

Mindset and the Matra culture

What kind of mindset drove the teams at Matra ?

It was the mindset of an innovation commando guided by the mantra “Impossible is not MATRA”. Far from copying the competition, we wanted to invent what did not exist, with total creative freedom. This highly agile spirit allowed us to design a vehicle starting from a blank sheet of paper and to move very fast, proving that collective intelligence could triumph over big budgets. It was a human adventure of passionate people, closely knit, where we preferred to risk failure by innovating rather than succeed in monotony.

What made Matra different from other companies at the time ?

Matra was not born out of the automotive industry, but from cutting-edge sectors (aerospace, space, missiles). It therefore applied completely disruptive methods and technologies. Our business model consisted of identifying market niches, designing the ideal vehicle, and then partnering with a major manufacturer for distribution. This gave us the agility of a start-up: we took the conceptual risks, and they provided the sales force. Internally, management relied on lean structures with very little hierarchy and ultra-short decision-making circuits, allowing us to go from drawing to prototype in just a few months.

When you look back at the period, what comes to mind first ?

The image of a true rebel village: a band of passionate individuals happy to shake up the automotive giants. Hierarchical barriers did not exist, everyone used the informal ‘tu’ form, and we solved problems together on the job, thanks to management based on trust and the right to make mistakes.

At Trappes, the word ‘impossible’ did not exist; we preferred resourcefulness and responsiveness to 200-page reports. Each project was a collective adventure experienced with the team spirit of a sports team.

Why do you think Matra left a lasting mark on the industry ?

Matra proved that a lean structure freed from hierarchical burdens could be more innovative than large industrial empires. By bringing together designers, engineers, and production on the same floor, we reduced development cycles, prefiguring today’s AGILE methods. We also launched the partner-manufacturer model (overall design by Matra, mechanics and network by the generalist). Finally, on a technical level, every time you come across a modular, lightweight, or plastic-bodied vehicle, you are crossing a piece of the Matra heritage (such as the cage structure covered with composite panels).

From Matra to Segula : Passing on a legacy

Do you find some of these values at SEGULA Technologies today ?

The scale is different, but SEGULA cultivates the same responsiveness, the same culture of agility, and the same desire to offer bespoke solutions to its clients. More than a philosophy, SEGULA has assimilated the true legacy of Matra: the full-vehicle culture. Where others limit themselves to placing consultants on isolated tasks, SEGULA knows how to manage an automotive project from A to Z, transforming the historic technical excellence of Trappes into a modern and efficient industrial tool.

In your opinion, what continues to live on today through the SEGULA teams ? 

What continues to live on is an engineering stance, a deep commitment to technical quality, and real day-to-day flexibility. The old ‘commando’ spirit has turned into a solid capacity to adapt. Faced with a problem or a schedule constraint, our teams know how to demonstrate common sense and responsiveness to adjust their approach as closely as possible to the client’s needs.

How is this heritage passed on to the next generation ?

Knowledge transfer takes place naturally on the ground, through working together on project floors. Young engineers arrive with excellent digital skills; our role as ‘seniors’ is to bring them a global and transversal vision of the product, as well as the composure and pragmatism necessary to resolve the unexpected. It is a highly enriching circular exchange.

What do you think is important to pass on to young talents today ?

In the age of all-digital and artificial intelligence, I wish to pass on three vital messages to them:

Industrial challenges and the skills of tomorrow

The industry is changing very fast today. What do you think remains indispensable ?

The fundamentals of our profession remain unchanged: pragmatism in the face of the physical realities of production, flexibility to adapt quickly to client needs, and collective intelligence. It is always the crossover between the experience of older colleagues and the fresh perspective of young talents that makes us strong.

The industry is changing very fast today. What do you think remains indispensable ?Why does industrial expertise remain essential, even with the arrival of new technologies like artificial intelligence ?

AI has neither creative audacity nor technical intuition; it calculates the future using data from the past. If a situation is unprecedented, it stops. This is where the engineer makes the difference by bringing their flair, their global vision, and their ability to take a technical risk to invent a breakthrough. If we had questioned an AI in 1980, it would never have designed the breakthrough concept of the MPV (the Espace) because it did not exist in any database! AI is a fantastic assistant for accelerating calculations, but the human brain remains the true engine.

In your opinion, what will always make the difference in industrial projects?

The difference will always be made on two pillars. Firstly, the quality of human interfaces: the success of a project depends on the smooth, humble, and collective passing of the torch between styling, the design office, processes, and production. Secondly, technical memory: systematically analysing our past failures and successes to avoid making the same mistakes twice and to secure schedules.

How does it make you feel to see this heritage continue to live on today at SEGULA Technologies?

It is a source of immense pride and tangible proof that what we built has survived the test of time. By cultivating the heritage of Matra Automobile, SEGULA proves to the global market that its teams possess the DNA of a full manufacturer, capable of designing and industrialising a vehicle from A to Z. Our audacity of yesterday feeds the engineering of tomorrow, and that is a true satisfaction.

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