The Department of Production Engineering of the Polytechnic School commemorates its fiftieth anniversary in 2008. A pioneer in the country, over time it has become a center of excellence in research and teaching of production engineering and operations management, and has trained more than 3,000 professionals and researchers. Many of its graduates are, or have been, important opinion makers, who occupy outstanding positions in society. As part of the celebrations, the Department of Production Engineering will organize the 4th International Conference on Production Research - ICPR Americas' 2008, an event endorsed by The International Foundation for Production Research (IFPR) and supported by Fundação Vanzolini. The conference will take place at the Polytechnic School of the University of Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, June 5th to 7th, 2008.