SPE AUTOMOTIVE DIVISION ANNOUNCES THEME, DATE FOR 32ND AWARDS PROGRAM CEREMONIES

TROY, Mich. – [June 2, 2002] – The theme for this year’s 32nd-annual Innovation Awards Program for the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) International is “Plastics: Back to the Future,” according to Kevin Pageau of Tuscarora, Inc., Awards Program chairman for the division. The program is scheduled for November 18, 2002 at Burton Manor in Livonia, Mich. “This year’s theme underscores the return of retro-looking vehicles like the PT Cruiser® and Thunderbird® passenger cars,” said Pageau. “But it also recognizes the high level of technology, quality, and design sophistication necessary for today’s automotive production.”

Nicknamed the “Academy Awards® of the Plastics Industry,” the Innovation Awards Program honors the durability, versatility, creativity, and increasing use of plastics in commercial automotive applications, both domestically and abroad. The program is the largest and most prestigious engineering awards event of its kind and is considered to be the auto industry’s premier recognition event.

A panel of blue-ribbon judges (made up of independent industry experts and analysts) will select winning applications in each of the following categories:

 Body Interior,

 Body Exterior,

 Materials,

 Powertrain,

 Chassis / Hardware / Assembly,

 Processes and Enabling Technologies, and

 Environmental.

A “Grand Award” is then selected from the winners of those categories by the same panel of judges.

Last year, the Grand Award (and Materials category winner) for plastics innovation, selected from more than 60 nominations, went to General Motors (GM), Basell Polyolefins, and Blackhawk Automotive Plastics Inc. for a newly developed nanocomposite-filled thermoplastic olefin (TPO) used in the step assist for the Chevrolet® Astro® and GMC® Safari® passenger vans.

A “Hall of Fame” award is also given each year to honor a pioneering use of plastics to replace metals or create never-before-possible parts and systems. This award is given to an OEM and application that has “withstood the test of time” of 10 or more years of continuously expanding usage. Last year, GM, and Nova Chemicals shared the honors for the 1973 Oldsmobile® Cutlass® instrument panel.

The awards were established in 1970 to recognize innovation in the field of automotive plastics. They symbolize pioneering contributions of automotive engineers in one of the largest and most demanding industries for plastics. More than 1,000 automotive engineers, executives, and their guests are expected to attend this year’s event. As is customary, proceeds raised from the event will be used to fund SPE educational efforts and technical seminars, which will help to secure the role of plastics in the advancement of the automobile.

Nominations for this prestigious award are now being accepted. The nomination form can be downloaded from the SPE Automotive website at www.speautomotive.com, or call Diana Ninowski, C. Lewis Consulting, Inc., at +1.248.619.7138 to have the form e-mailed or faxed.

Companies interested in becoming a sponsor for the event, which includes complimentary admission tickets, media recognition, and other perks, may contact Kevin Pageau at +1.248.258.0306. Sponsors for last year’s event included Advanced Elastomer Systems, American Plastics Council, A. Schulman, Ashland Specialty Chemical Co., Automotive Industries magazine, Automotive Composites Alliance, Automotive Design & Production magazine, Basell, BASF Polyolefins, Bayer Corporation, Cascade Engineering, Decoma, Delphi Corporation, DuPont Automotive, ExxonMobil Chemical, GE Plastics, Honeywell, Huntsman Corporation, Husky, Injection Molding Magazine, Johnson Controls, LightSpeed Technologies, Meridian Automotive Systems, Modern Plastics magazine, PETS (Plastic Engineering and Technical Services), Plastic Omnium, PolyOne Automotive, Ticona, Visteon Corporation, and Ward’s Communications.

Reader enquiries

Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division
1800 Crooks Road
Suite A
Troy, MI 48084
U.S.A.

+1.203.775.0471

spe@​plastics.org

www.speautomotive.com