The International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) which is the head organisation of most of the existing national and international societies of mechanics, decided to sponsor a Symposium on METAL FORMING PLASTICITY. It was held near Munich (Federal Republic of Germany) between August 28 and September 3, 1978, in the "Evange­ lische Academy" in the Castle of Tutzing which is situ­ ated in a park at Lake Starnberg overlooking the Alps. The subjects of the Symposium were basic aspects of the theoretical and experimental mechanics of metal form­ ing processes rather than technological details, or plas­ ticity as such. Thus the spectrum of the Conference extended from necessary physical background, through ex­ perimental, analytical, or numerical methods, to appli­ cations to specific technological deformation processes such as rolling, deep drawing, extrusion, etc. The following persons were by the IUTAM-bureau ap­ pointed to membership of the "Scientific Committee" which was responsible for the nomination of participants as well as for the form of the scientific program: w. Johnson (U.K.), H. Kudo (Japan), H. Lippmann (F.R.G, chairman), G.S. Pisarenko (USSR), anc W. Szczepinski (Poland) . The technical organisation was in the hands of a "Local Organizing Committee" formed by VI F. Fischer, K. Heckel, G. Kuhn, H. Lippmann (chairman), K. Magnus, V. Mannl, G. Sonntag, all of them from Munich and K. Lange (Stuttgart), O. Pa'Nelski (DUsseldorf) . This committee was supported by two secretaries, i.e.