SPE announces call for nominations for Automotive Innovation Awards

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Troy, Mich., U.S.) has announced a “Call for Nominations” for awards that will be presented at its 49th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, to be held Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019 at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Mich., U.S.

Nominations for the event’s Parts Competition are due by Sept. 15, 2019, and nominations for the Hall of Fame Award are due by May 31, 2019. All nominations can be submitted by emailing this online form.

The Parts Competition is divided into 10 categories, honoring the parts and the teams that develop them. Winners receive an “Most Innovative Use of Plastics” award. A “Grand Award” will be presented to the winning team from all category award winners.

Hall of Fame Award winners are awarded to nominations that have been in continuous use for 15 years or more and have made a significant and lasting impact to the application of plastics in automotive vehicles.

Current competition categories include:

• Additive Manufacturing
• Aftermarket
• Body Exterior
• Body Interior
• Chassis/Hardware
• Environmental
• Hall of Fame
• Materials
• Process, Assembly & Enabling Technologies
• Powertrain
• Safety

According to SPE, there is no cost to nominate parts. Nominations that are accepted into the competition need to be presented (in person or via webinar) by their nominating teams during the first round of Automotive Innovation Awards Competition judging, Sept. 26-27, 2019 in Auburn Hills, Mich. U.S.  Finalists from that round advance to a second presentation before a panel of Blue Ribbon judges made up of media, retired chief engineers and other industry experts on Oct. 4, 2019 (also in Auburn Hills).

All award winners will be honored at the Automotive Innovation Awards Gala on Nov. 6, which is said to draw over 800 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, and media every year. Funds raised from the event are used to support SPE educational programs including technical seminars and conferences, which are meant to educate and secure the role of plastics in the advancement of the automobile.

“Polymer technologies are advancing mobility by enabling mass savings, greater design flexibility, enhanced performance and more,” says Jeffrey Helms, global automotive director of Celanese Corp. and 2019 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards chair. “This led to the selection of ‘Plastics – Advancing Mobility’ as our 2019 program theme. Plastics technologies are enabling automakers to provide the advanced performance and comfort features their customers want while meeting global regulatory and affordability targets. Plastics and composites are the leading material solution for automotive applications today and will be used even more in the future with the growth of autonomous vehicles with advanced communications and connectivity.”

For more information about the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition and Gala, see www.speautomotive.com.