DETROIT Fifteen automotive suppliers have won 2010 Automotive News PACE Awards for innovation, along with four automotive manufacturers that were also honored with Automotive News PACE Innovation Partnership Awards. The awards were presented at a black tie ceremony Monday night in Detroit, Mich.
The 16th annual awards program for innovation honors suppliers that contribute products, processes, capital equipment, information technology or services directly to the manufacture of cars or trucks worldwide. The prestigious PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Award is presented by Automotive News, Ernst & Young LLP and Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC Inc.).
Selected from among 28 finalists, the 2010 PACE Award winners by category are:
Product Innovations in new products or components or systems that have significant market impact and act as “game changers” in the automotive industry:
Delphi Corp. Troy, Mich. – Electronically Scanning Radar
DURA Automotive Systems Inc. Rochester Hills, Mich. – Horizontal Sliding Rear Window with Defrost
Meridian Lightweight Technologies Inc. Strathroy, Ontario, Canada – Single Piece Cast Magnesium Liftgate Inner Panel
PPG Industries Troy, Mich. – Super High Power Electrocoat
TI Group Automotive Systems LLC Auburn Hills, Mich. – Dual Channel Single Stage (DCSS 39-50) Electric Fuel Pump
WABCO Brussels, Belgium – WABCO OptiDrive
Product-Europe As above, but for innovations that are developed and first commercialized in Europe:
Continental Regensburg, Germany and Auburn Hills, Mich. & NGK Insulators, Ltd Nagoya, Japan – Smart NOx Sensor
Delphi Corp. Powertrain Systems Division Bascharage, Luxembourg – Delphi Direct Acting Piezo Injector
Federal-Mogul Corp. Aubange, Belgium and Southfield, Mich. – Bayonet Connection System for Profile Wiper Blades
ZF Getriebe GmbH – Saarbruecken, Germany – ZF 8HP 8 Automatic Transmission
Manufacturing Process & Capital Equipment Innovations involving game-changing processes (manufacturing or business) or innovative capital equipment that support the automotive supply chain or manufacturing processes:
Henkel Corp. Madison Heights, Mich. – Aquence
Durr Systems Inc. Plymouth, Mich. EcoDryScrubber
Federal-Mogul Corp. Southfield, Mich. – DuraBowl Piston Reinforcement Process
Federal-Mogul Corp. Southfield, Mich. – High Precision Electro-Erosion Machining
Johnson Controls GmbH Automotive Experience Burscheid, Germany & NORDENIA DEUTSCHLAND Gronau, GmbH Gronau, Germany – PP Thin Film
Information Technology & Services Innovations in the design and implementation of information systems solutions that enable companies to improve operational performance or for services and delivery of services:
Siemens PLM Software Plano, Texas – Teamcenter In-Vehicle Software (IVS) Management System
“Every winner that emerges from the rigorous Automotive News PACE Award review process is truly exceptional in the industry,” said Peter Brown, Automotive News publisher and editorial director. “These fifteen companies are clearly playing to win in this challenging global market.”
Automotive manufacturers receiving Automotive News PACE Innovation Partnership Awards during last evening’s ceremonies were:
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. for its partnership on VSS, Vehicle Stability System for a 3-Wheeled Vehicle with Robert Bosch LLC
Ford Motor Co. for its partnership on Next Generation Navigation System with Clarion Corporation of America
Ford Motor Co. for its partnership on Horizontal Sliding Rear Window with Defrost with DURA Automotive Systems Inc.
Ford Motor Co. for its partnership on Single Piece Cast Magnesium Liftgate Inner Panel with Meridian Lightweight Technologies Inc.
Innovation Partnership Award winners were selected by Automotive News PACE Award judges from the pool of 2010 finalists.
PACE Award winners were chosen following a thorough review of written submissions from each supplier and site visits by a panel of judges, drawn from among industry, academic and business leaders.
Profiles of each PACE Award winner are available by visiting www.automotivenews.com/pace.