At an installation comprising a roll stand having at least one roll of the variable camber type, comprising a fixed support and a casing carried by at least three jacks and rotationally movable about the support, the pressure of the fluid in each of the jacks (14), the position of the pistons of these jacks, the speed of rotation of the roll, and the flatness and thickness of the flat product are measured. The position of one of the jacks (14b) is controlled by the thickness measurement. The pressure in the other jacks (14a, 14c, 14d, 14e) is controlled by the pressure in the one jack (14b). The positions of the end jacks (14a and 14e) are compared and the pressure in the jacks (14) is modified in order to bring the tilt of the roll to a suitable value. The deformation of the fixed support is calculated and the shape of the generatrix of contact of the roll is determined. The pressure in the jacks (14) is modified in order to bring the generatrix to a reference shape. The invention is particularly applicable to four-high rolling mills having variable camber supporting rolls.