Inteva Products LLC, a global Tier 1 automotive supplier of engineered components and systems, received top honors for cooperation with customer General Motors in the 2016 CLEPA Innovation Awards. The awards were announced to more than 160 guests from the automotive industry during a gala event held on March 17 in Brussels.
CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, received more than 75 applications from 45 companies for innovations introduced around the globe. Inteva was recognized for its all-olefin, soft-skin, stitched full instrument panel system. This technology has given automotive OEMs design freedom for a vehicle’s interior, especially mid-market interiors, and consumers of mid-market vehicles are now able to experience the look and feel of high-end interiors for the first time.
Inteva’s patented automated “contour stitching” process allows decorative stitching to be placed on a full instrument panel skin. Inteva collaborated with the customer to design a new look, and developed new robotic sewing equipment that pushed the boundaries of part size, contour and complexity. The resulting formed-and-sewn skin gives the appearance of a cut-and-sewn up-level instrument panel, while per-unit manufacturing time has been reduced from 2-3 hours to just a few minutes.
“We are excited about this honor,” said Inteva Products Michael Maddelein, vice president of engineering, who accepted the award in Brussels. “This innovation was a true collaborative effort with our customer, and we’re especially proud to receive a first-prize recognition from this prestigious organization.”
The 2016 CLEPA Innovation Awards, organized in cooperation with Deloitte, celebrate automotive excellence in the categories of green, safety, connectivity and, for the first time, cooperation.
