GE Plastics Unveils Automotive Glazing Center of Excellence
Innovative Equipment and Technologies Enhance Application Development, Processing Capabilities for Customers Globally
BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands- June 5, 2007 - GE Plastics today opened its first Automotive Glazing Center of Excellence here. The new facility is aimed at helping customers around the world design, create, and process innovative auto glazing applications using GE's environmentally progressive Lexan* GLX polycarbonate (PC) resins and other engineered materials. As one of the company's Global Application Technology (GApT) centers, the Automotive Glazing Center of Excellence features equipment and technologies from Krauss Maffei and Summerer Technologies.
"We feel glazing offers one of the greatest growth opportunities for plastics in the automotive industry," said Rick Pontillo, general manager Global Application Technology at GE Plastics. "Therefore, GE Plastics has invested significant resources to support our customers in the creation of exceptional glazing applications. The new center is located in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands, in the heart of Europe, which has been the hub of Lexan polycarbonate automotive glazing to date. The new center will support new customer developments, which are already active around the globe."
Among the key materials to be used at the Center, GE's Lexan GLX resin has been specifically developed for the demands of automotive glazing applications. It offers exceptional optical quality, improved quality control for injection-compression molding processes, tailored pigment systems for longer color stability, and custom colors. The Lexan resin not only reduces weight to help lower fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, but also has the potential to be recycled. By adopting Lexan PC light weight glazing, automotive companies can differentiate their vehicles with exciting new design possibilities while addressing some of their key environmental challenges. For example, if the side and rear glazing of all passenger vehicles on the road in Europe today were changed from glass to Lexan GLX glazing: - Fuel savings would be about 2,100 million liters per year (this is equivalent to roughly 2.4 billion euro based on 2006 average fuel prices), and - CO2 emission reductions would be around 5.2 million metric tons annually. This is equivalent to the CO2 emissions from Finland for one month.
A highlight of the new center is a Krauss Maffei SpinForm swivel platen machine for two-component injection molding. The Krauss Maffei equipment, in combination with a Summerer Technologies tool, opens up new opportunities for creating auto glazing that integrates the glazing component with assembly fittings. While integration enables cost-effective solutions, the significantly reduced weight of the part contributes to fuel efficiency and a lower center of gravity for improved handling.
Summerer, a German moldmaker, is another key ingredient to the success of this Center. The tool of this supplier ensures the processing of high quality multi-component parts on the Krauss-Maffei machine, which enables the coatability, good impact resistance and dimensional stability. Exatec®, a joint venture between GE Plastics and Bayer that offers proprietary coating technologies for auto glazing, is a further example of GE Plastics' investment in developing glazing technology that will enhance vehicle design and performance.
The Center was officially opened today at a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Heiner Markhoff, president, GE Plastics, Europe who was joined by Dr. Otto Urbanek, member of the Management Board, CTO, and COO for Krauss-Maffei Kunststofftechnik; Franz Summerer, managing director for Summerer Technologies; and John Madej, CEO for Exatec.
The Automotive Glazing Center of Excellence is one of six specialized facilities within the Bergen op Zoom Global Application Technology Center, which was opened in 1978. The mission of the Global Application Technology Center is to support the growth of GE's product portfolio through advanced application and process development, and dedicated customer support around the world. The GApT invents, validates, and translates applications and processes. A virtual laboratory connects with GE's application technology centers around the globe to share and translate knowledge worldwide.
For more information on GE Plastics' automotive glazing materials and this new Automotive Glazing Center of Excellence, please visit the GE Plastics' website at geplastics.com.
About GE Plastics GE Plastics (geplastics.com) is a global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building & construction, telecommunications, and optical media applications. The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, SAN, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP* line of high-performance specialty compounds. GE Plastics, Specialty Film & Sheet manufactures high-performance Lexan* sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide. In addition, GE Plastics' dedicated Automotive organization is an experienced, world-wide competitor, offering leading plastics solutions for five key automotive segments: body panels and glazing; under the hood applications; component; structures and interiors; and lighting. As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to a successful Games.
* LNP and Lexan are trademarks of General Electric Company. ® Exatec is a trademark of Exatec, LLC a joint venture of General Electric Company and Bayer MaterialScience.
GE Media Contacts Global Anne Rohinsky GE Plastics, Automotive, Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands Tel: +31 164 29 31 48 E-Mail: anne.rohinsky@ge.com
Agency Media Contacts The Americas Jim Allison AH&M Marketing Communications, Pittsfield, Mass. Tel: +1-413-448-2260, Ext. 25 E-Mail: jallison@ahminc.com
Europe Folke Markestein Marketing Solutions, Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands Tel: +31 164 317 038 E-Mail: fmarkestein@marketingsolutions.be
China Anita Cai Edelman, Shanghai, China Tel: ++86 21 62892929-360 E-Mail: anita.cai@edelman.com
Japan Mitsu Sugino Tokyo PR Inc., Tokyo, Japan Tel: +81 3-3273-2731 E-Mail: sugino@tokyopr.co.jp
