SPE® Announces Date, Location, Theme for 43rd-Annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) today announced the date, location, and theme for its 43rd-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries. This year’s event will be held Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at Burton Manor (www.burtonmanor.net) in Livonia, Mich.

Jeffrey Helms, global automotive director, Ticona Engineering Polymers, who returns as the 2013 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards chair said, “The automotive industry faces extremely challenging emissions and fuel-economy standards over the next decade in most major markets, so materials that reduce part mass and cost while improving durability, aesthetics, and functionality are going to be key to helping OEMs meet requirements while producing vehicles that consumers want to buy and drive. Events like the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition and Gala have long focused a spotlight on cutting-edge technology and the many benefits that polymeric materials can bring to cars, light trucks, and other types of ground-transportation as this year’s event theme, Plastics: Kick the Metal Habit, help to underscore.”

SPE’s Automotive Innovation Awards Program is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the world. Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers, and polymer producers submit nominations describing their part, system, or complete vehicle and why it merits the claim as the Year’s Most Innovative Use of Plastics. This annual event typically draws over 700 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, and media. As is customary, funds raised from this event are used to support SPE educational efforts and technical seminars, which help educate and secure the role of plastics in the advancement of the automobile.

For more information, see http://speautomotive.com/inno.

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® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Detroit-Area SPE Members Attend FREE Molding Innovation Day in Troy, MI, April 16th

MOLDING INNOVATION DAY:

Detroit Marriott Troy, April 16, 2013

SPE members are invited to register to attend a free seminar in Troy, Michigan, USA this April, brought to you by Moldex3D, Matsui, Trexel, Inc., Siemens, and RJG.   Seats are limited, so if interested, please respond right away.

Use this LINK to learn more and to register for this event.

Questions? Contact Rob Stipek:

Tel: +1-248-946-4570 ext. 202

Fax:+1-248-928-227

robstipek@moldex3d.com

SPE Members Attend SAE Congress, April 16-18, 2013 at Classic SAE Member Rate

 

 

 

Through a special arrangement with SAE International, SPE members who are not also SAE members can attend next week’s SAE Congress at Cobo Hall in Detroit at the SAE Classic Member rate. To take advantage of this reduced price admission, follow the instructions below.

Registration Instructions

1. Go to the SAE 2012 World Congress registration page at: http://www.sae.org/congress/registration.htm
2. Click on the link to Register Now!
3. You will be asked to Login to the SAE Website. If you don’t already have a MySAE User ID and Password, you will need to create one by clicking the Sign Up/Get Started Now button on the right.
4. When Non-SAE Members log in, they will see a screen like that shown below.
5. In the Other Society section, please select the days that you plan to attend by checking the boxes and select “I am an SPE Member” from the drop down box (see screen shot below):
6. Select any additional events you are interested in, then click the Proceed button at the bottom of the page.
7. The Registration Summary screen will appear with the SAE Classic Member rates. Confirm your selections are correct then click the Proceed button at the bottom and complete your registration.

Nominations being Accepted for 2013 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition’s Hall of Fame Category

Nominations are being accepted for the 43rd-annual SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition’s Hall of Fame (HOF) award category. The team representing the winning nomination will be honored at the 2013 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, November 6, 2013 at Burton Manor in Livonia (Detroit Area), Michigan.

To be considered for a Hall of Fame award, the application must have:

1) Been in continuous production for a minimum of 15 years;

2) Been a game changer (must have led to significant changes in that category of part) over the years;

3) Been recognized and used worldwide;

4) Been considered a technical innovation in terms of materials, process, or application at the time of its introduction.

The winner of the Hall of Fame award is selected by a group of judges comprised of current members of the SPE Automotive Division board of directors, industry experts from OEMs and tier suppliers, as well as SPE Honored Service members, technical Fellows, and Lifetime Achievement award winners.

The last date for submission is April 15, 2013. Use the standard Automotive Innovation Awards  nomination form available at www.speautomotive.com/inno.htm (under forms).

Please submit the application electronically to Nippani Rao (nippanirao@aol.com) and David Reed (fierodreed@sbcglolbal.net). The winner will be announced in June of 2013.

For more information on the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition, see www.speautomotive.com/inno.htm. For questions on the award, contact Hall of Fame committee co-chairs Nippani Rao or David Reed, or contact Dawn Stephens at dawn@speautomotive.com or call 1.248.244.8993 ext. 3.

SPE® Announces Dates, Location, Theme for 13th Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition

The organizing committee for the SPE® Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) today announced the dates, theme, and location for this year’s show and issued its annual Call for Papers. Now in its thirteenth year, the SPE ACCE is the world’s leading forum for automotive composites and draws exhibitors, speakers, and attendees from 15 countries on five continents. This year’s show, whose theme is Composites: Lightweighting the Cars of Tomorrow, returns September 11-13, 2013 but to a new venue.

Creig Bowland, senior research associate at PPG Industries, 2013 SPE ACCE conference co-chair explains, “Our conference has been fortunate enough to enjoy excellent growth the past few years — so much so that we have literally outgrown our home of 12 years. We and management at our previous venue tried everything we could to make the most of the space we had, but it became clear during last year’s ACCE that we needed to make a change. We’ve moved our 2013 conference to The Diamond Center, which is part of the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich., U.S.A. We believe it will give us the best of both worlds — the friendly, intimate feel of our old facility and the flexibility to grow and spread out that we so badly needed.”

Integrated Headlamp/Hood Bump-Stop Bracket is Safety Category Winner @ 42nd SPE® Auto Innovation Awards Gala

The Safety category winner at the 2012 SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Competition is the Integrated Headlamp / Hood Bump-Stop Bracket on the 2013 model year Ford® Fusion® sedans by Ford Motor Co. The winner was announced on Nov. 7 at the 42nd-annual SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Gala held at Burton Manor in the Detroit suburbs. Tier supplier/processor, Magna Exterior & Interior, materials supplier, Styron LLC, and toolmaker, Advantage Mold, Inc. were also named on the award.

For more information, see http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa .

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® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

High-resolution digital part photography for all of the 2012 nominations may be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/speautomotive/collections/72157631799956738/.

Direct Extrusion of Bulb Seal on Cowls Wins Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies Category @ SPE® Auto Innovation Awards Gala

In the Process / Assembly / Enabling Technologies category, the Direct Extrusion of Bulb Seal on Cowls nomination on the 2013 model year Ford® C-MAX® HEV by Ford Motor Co.  was named the winner of the 2012 SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Competition by a panel of Blue Ribbon judges. The winner was announced on Nov. 7 at the 42nd-annual SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Gala held at Burton Manor in the Detroit suburbs.  Tier supplier/processor, Windsor Mold Group, materials supplier, ExxonMobil Chemical, and toolmaker, Reis Extrusion GmbH were also named on the award.

For more information, see http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa .

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® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

High-resolution digital part photography for all of the 2012 nominations may be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/speautomotive/collections/72157631799956738/.

Water Outlet Assembly is Powertrain Category Winner in 2012 SPE® Auto Innovation Awards Competition

The Powertrain category winner at the 2012 SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Competition is the Water Outlet Assembly on the 2012 model year Nissan® Altima® sedan by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. The winner was announced during the 42nd-annual SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Gala held at Burton Manor in the Detroit suburb on Nov. 7.  Tier supplier/processor, MPC, Inc., materials supplier, Solvay Specialty Polymers, and toolmaker, Industrial Molds Group were also named on the award.

For more information, see http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa .

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® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

High-resolution digital part photography for all of the 2012 nominations may be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/speautomotive/collections/72157631799956738/.

Carbon Composite Air Extractor Named Performance & Customization Winner in 42nd SPE® Auto Innovation Awards Competition

The Performance & Customization category winner in the 2012 SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Competition is the Carbon Composite Air Extractor on the 2012 model year Chevrolet® Camaro® ZL1 sportscar by General Motors Co.  The winner was announced on Nov. 7  at the 42nd-annual SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Gala held at Burton Manor in the Detroit suburbs.  Tier supplier, TransGlobal LLC, materials processor, deBotech, Inc., materials suppliers, Umeco plc/Cytec Industries, BASF Corp., and SABIC, and toolmaker, deBotech, Inc. were also named on the award.

For more information, see http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa .

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® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

High-resolution digital part photography for all of the 2012 nominations may be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/speautomotive/collections/72157631799956738/.

SPE® Auto Innovation Awards Winner in Materials Category Features Controlled Crystallization Rate to Eliminate Paint

The Materials category winner at the 2012 SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Competition is the Controlled Crystallization Rate to Eliminate Paint nomination on the 2013 model year Ford® Escape® CUV & Fusion® sedan, & Lincoln® MKZ® luxury sedan by Ford Motor Co.   The winner was announced November 7th at the 42nd-annual SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards Gala held at Burton Manor in the Detroit suburbs. Tier supplier, TRW Automotive, materials processor, Key Plastics LLC, materials supplier, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, and toolmakers, Liberty Molds, Inc. and J&J Tool & Mold Ltd. were also named on the award.

For more information, see http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa .

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

High-resolution digital part photography for all of the 2012 nominations may be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/speautomotive/collections/72157631799956738/.