DETROIT (Oct. 9, 1:10 p.m. ET) — The Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division has named the finalists for its 2012 Automotive Innovation Awards. Winners will be named during a dinner and evening awards ceremony Nov. 7 in Livonia, Mich.
SPE honors winners in nine categories, while judges also select a grand prize winner from that pool of category winners. Nominated parts must be used on parts for vehicles in production in 2012.
Category finalists are:
Safety:
• The collapsible cargo management system on Ford Motor Co.’s C-Max, molded by NYX Inc. of Livonia, Mich.
• An integrated headlamp and hood bump-stop bracket in Ford’s Fusion sedan, made by Magna International Corp., in Aurora, Ontario.
Processes/Assembly/Enabling Technologies:
• The illuminated front grille badge on Ford’s Mustang sports car, produced by Colonial Plastics Inc., of Clinton Township, Mich.
• Two-shot window lift carrier plats in Ford’s Escape sports utility vehicle, molded by Hi-Lex America Inc. of Litchfield, Mich.
• An all-plastic B-pillar assist grab handle on Ford’s F-150 truck, made by Johnson Controls Inc. of Plymouth, Mich.
• Direct extrusion cowl bulb seal for the C-Max, produced by Windsor Mold Group of Windsor, Ontario.
Powertrain:
• The water outlet assembly for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s Altima sedan, molded by Miniature Precision Components Inc. of Walworth, Wis.
• The plastic turbo resonator in Ford’s 2.0-liter Ecoboost engine in the Fusion and Escape, made by ContiTech AG of Hanover, Germany.
• The electric vehicle battery pack for Ford’s all-electric Focus, supplied by Ford’s in-house battery pack operations.
Performance and Customization:
• The carbon fiber air extractor for General Motors Co.’s Camaro Zl1 sports car, made by TransGlobal LLC of Auburn Hills, Mich.
• An illuminated engine cover for the Ford Mustang, molded by Colonial Plastics. |
• A hidden dome lamp available for Ford’s Lincoln MKZ, supplied by Pacific Insight Electronics Corp. of Nelson, British Columbia.
Materials:
• A low specific gravity carbon fiber and glass hybrid sheet molded compound developed for GM’s Corvette sports car by Molded Fiberglass Co. of Ashtabula, Ohio.
• A polyamide with a controlled crystallization rate to eliminate paint, used by Ford in the Escape, Fusion and other vehicles, developed by Asahi Kasei North America Inc. of Fowlerville, Mich., and molded by Key Plastics LLC of Northville, Mich., and TRW Automotive Inc. of Livonia.
• The interior molded-in-color high gloss black door switch bezels used by Ford in the Fusion and Mondeo, developed by BASF Corp. of Florham Park, N.J., and molded by Summit Polymers Inc. of Kalamazoo, Mich.
Chassis/Hardware:
• A dual rate air extractor for Ford’s Escape and Edge, molded by Wegu Manufacturing Inc. of Whitby, Ontario.
• A multi-function bracket with vitreous appearance on Ford’s Fusion sedan supplied by Hutchinson Sealing Systems, part of Paris-based Hutchinson Worldwide.
• The power liftgate drive motor supplied by Hi-Lex America for Ford vehicles including the Flex, Edge and Expedition.
Body Interior:
• An instrument panel with faux seam and contour stitching in GM’s Buick Enclave molded by Inteva Products LLC of Troy, Mich.
• The composite rear seat cushion frame in Kia Motor Corp.’s K9 sedan, supplied by Hyundai Dymos of Chungnam, South Korea.
• A dual purpose cargo management system lid for the all-electric Ford Focus molded by Woodbridge Group of Mississauga, Ontario.
• An inertial latch for the center console for Ford’s Lincoln MKZ, supplied by TRW Automotive.
• Instrument panel components molded using the Dolphin two-step molding system for Daimler AG’s Actros truck, molded by Sole SpA of Oderzo, Italy.
Body Exterior:
• Polycarbonate rear quarter windows and surround on the Citroen DS5, molded by Freeglass GmbH of Schwaikheim, Germany.
• The structural rocker molding on Ford’s Edge Sport, made by ABC Group of Toronto.
• The uniform lighting lens on GM’s Buick Enclave, supplied by Magna International.
• A bi-LED achromatic plastic lens on Ford’s Lincoln MKZ, made by Valeo Sylvania Automotive Lighting Systems of Seymour, Ind.
• The carbon fiber hood assembly on Chrysler Group LLC’s SRT Viper, molded by Plasan Carbon Composites in Bennington, Vt.
Vehicle Engineering Team Award:
• The suppliers and engineering team within Ford who developed the 2013 Fusion.
• The suppliers and engineers within Chrysler for the SRT Viper.
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NOTE: Officials from several of the nominated companies — including Inteva Products., Plasan Carbon Composites, Magna International and Johnson Controls Inc. — will be speaking at the Nov. 6-7 Plastics in Lightweight Vehicles 2012 conference (www.plasticsnews.com/plv2012) that occurs immediately before the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala (www.speautomotive.com/inno.htm). Both events take place in Livonia.
