2012 SPE Automotive Plastics Conference to host 4 keynotes.
Press Release Summary:
To be delivered by David E. Cole, first keynote will offer insight into how automotive industry future is changing for the better. Second keynote, by Alan Taub, will highlight challenges/opportunities faced in light of changes in tomorrow's automobiles. Given by Maria Ciliberti, third keynote is "The Automotive Renaissance: Re-Inventing Transportation." Afternoon session's keynote, "Material and Supplier Selection: Global Challenges and Evolving Expectations," will be presented by Kathy Minnich.
Original Press Release:
Four Keynotes Highlight Industry Trends at 2012 SPE® Automotive Engineering Plastics Conference
TROY, (DETROIT) MICH. - The seventh-annual SPE® Automotive Engineering Plastics Conference (SPE AutoEPCON), to be held Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at the Michigan State University Management Education Center (here, mectroy.com/), will feature four keynote speakers highlighting important trends currently facing participants in the global automotive-plastics market. The one-day conference, which typically draws 200-250 attendees from North America and Europe and whose theme this year is Enhanced Performance with Engineering Plastics, includes technical presentations, exhibits, and ample networking opportunities for those interested in the latest materials, processing, and application uses of engineering thermoplastics and thermosets for ground transportation. Held annually since 2005, AutoEPCON is co-organized by the Detroit Section and Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
This year's conference will lead off with a keynote by David E. Cole, Ph.D., chair emeritus, of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR, www.cargroup.org/) and chair and co-founder of AutoHarvest (http://autoharvest.org/), who will give a talk entitled "The Auto Sun is Rising." Cole's topic will provide insights into just how the automotive industry's future is changing for the better.
The conference will continue with a second keynote given by Alan Taub, Ph.D., vice-president, Global Research & Development, General Motors Co. (http://www.gm.com/), whose topic - "Advanced Automotive Materials: The New DNA of Personal Mobility" - will highlight challenges and opportunities faced by the materials industry in light of fundamental changes in the function, design, and propulsion of tomorrow's automobiles.
Before lunch, a third keynote will be given by Maria Ciliberti, Americas business director, Ticona Engineering Polymers (http://www.ticona.com/homepage) on the subject of "The Automotive Renaissance: Re-Inventing Transportation." Significant changes are taking place as this industry rethinks the entire concept of personal transportation with greater energy efficiency, new concepts for interior spaces, creative infotainment options, and fundamental redesign underway in all systems and subassemblies. This revitalization is having, and will continue to have, a profound impact on how cars are designed, built, and driven.
The afternoon session will open with a keynote on "Material and Supplier Selection: Global Challenges and Evolving Expectations," presented by Kathy Minnich, manager, Materials, Engineering & Testing, at Ford Motor Co. (http://www.ford.com). In a competitive global market, many internal and external drivers influence the selection of supplier partners as well as materials for parts. The presentation will provide an overview of these drivers and probe the evolving set of expectations between the OEM materials engineer and materials supplier.
About the SPE® Automotive Engineering Plastics Conference
First held in 2006 by the Detroit Section and Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), AutoEPCON features 14+ technical presentations in multiple technical tracks and keynote addresses to highlight the latest advances in materials technology, predictive engineering, process enhancements, and application developments for thermoplastic and thermoset engineering plastics for the automotive industry. Exhibits are also on display throughout the event and a networking reception will conclude the day.
The conference annually draws 200-250 attendees from North America and Europe, with close to half reporting they work for automakers or tier suppliers. The conference focuses on the most pressing auto industry needs for lighter weight, more cost efficient and higher performing material applications for vehicle electrification, turbocharging, and a host of other technologies that will be required to meet fuel economy and vehicle performance standards worldwide.
About SPE®
The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. SPE's Detroit Section and Automotive Divisions, which co-organize the AutoEPCON show each year, are active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments - particularly in the automotive industry.
For more information about the SPE Automotive Engineering Plastics Conference, to view the conference's evolving program, or to register for the event, please visit speautomotive.com/emc, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other SPE events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.
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