SPE ACCE announces first parts competition at 2012 show.
Press Release Summary:
Organizing committee for SPE Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition will hold its first parts competition at this year's show, Sept 11-13, 2012 at MSU Management Education Center. One innovative composites application submitted by sponsors/exhibitors or automakers will be selected from entries and announced on last day of show. Nominations will be judged on impact and trendsetting nature of application, including materials of construction, processing method, and assembly methods.
Original Press Release:
SPE® Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition Announces First Parts Competition at 2012 Show
TROY (DETROIT), MICH. - The organizing committee for the SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) today announced that it will hold its first parts competition at this year's show, September 11-13, 2012 at the MSU Management Education Center (here). One innovative composites application submitted by sponsors/exhibitors or automakers will be selected by the committee and invited judges from entries and announced on the last day of the show during closing ceremonies, with a follow-up announcement describing the application and why it was selected to be released after the event.
Creig Bowland, senior research associate at PPG Industries, and the 2011 and 2012 SPE ACCE conference chair said, "We've seen our large-parts display area grow considerably over the past few years. This year, it just seemed to make sense to capture some additional detail on all those parts that were at the show and provide some recognition for the innovation we were seeing - especially since our theme this year is Unleashing the Power of Design. What better way can we show automakers just what composites can do?" Bowland adds that there is no cost to nominate parts for the competition. Materials suppliers, molders, or OEMs in any geography may nominate as long as the OEM gives permission. Parts may be on passenger cars or light trucks, original equipment or aftermarket, as long as they are already in commercial (series) production or will be in production by November 1, 2012.
"Nominations will be judged on the impact and trendsetting nature of the application,"
Bowland adds, "including materials of construction, processing method, assembly methods, and other enabling technologies that made the application possible. Nominations should also emphasize benefits of design, weight and cost reduction, parts consolidation, functional integration, and improved performance."
To nominate a part, companies are requested to download a nomination instruction form
from speautomotive.com/comp.htm. Preliminary descriptions and photos about the
application's innovations are due August 15 and should be eMailed to ACCEpapers@speautomotive.com . Physical parts must be brought to and displayed at the SPE ACCE for final review by judges during a formal walk-through at a date and time to be announced.
Held annually in suburban Detroit, the ACCE draws almost 500 speakers, exhibitors,
sponsors, and attendees and provides an environment dedicated solely to discussion and
networking about advances in the transportation composites. Its global appeal is evident in the diversity of exhibitors, speakers, and attendees who come to the conference from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / Pacific as well as North America. Fully one-third of attendees indicate they work for automotive and light truck, agriculture, truck & bus, heavy truck, or aviation OEM, and another 25% representing tier suppliers. Attendees also represent composite materials, processing equipment, additives, or reinforcement suppliers; trade associations, consultants, university and government labs; media; and investment bankers. The show has been jointly sponsored by the SPE Automotive and Composites Divisions since 2001. The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics.
SPE's Automotive and Composites Divisions work to advance plastics and plastic-based
composites technologies worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. Both divisions are dedicated to educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments, including materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design and testing, and application development.
For more information about the SPE Automotive Composites Conference, visit the
Automotive Division's website at speautomotive.com/comp.htm, or the Composites'
Division website at compositeshelp.com, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Automotive Division, 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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