United Plastics Group and Teleflex Develop Innovative Plastic Gears for New Adjustable Pedal System
WESTMONT, Ill.--March 19, 2003--United Plastics Group Inc. (UPG), a full service manufacturer of plastic products for the automotive market, today announced that it has designed and manufactured an innovative plastics gear box that will be part of Teleflex's adjustable pedal system.
UPG's collaboration with Telefex Automotive, a leading supplier of driver control systems, signifies a growing trend to replace metal or steel gears with plastic.
Teleflex's adjustable pedal system moves the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals closer or further from the driver for comfort and safety. Teleflex selected UPG to help develop a lightweight, robust and inexpensive gear train for their second-generation adjustable pedal system. This new system can be used in a variety of vehicle makes, helping to keep manufacturing costs low while providing comfort and safety to drivers.
"Plastic gears and worms have proven to be a superior alternative to metal or machined steel gears not only because they are cost-effective, but because they are quieter in operation, have more design flexibility and are easier to interface with," stated Teleflex's Avtar Kalsi, senior engineering manager.
"Our continued collaboration with Teleflex on its adjustable pedal system is a testament to our exceptional history in the design and manufacture of a smarter gear alternative -- plastic. We're pleased that we could once again work with Teleflex on its innovative pedal system and we look forward to working on future assemblies so that we may continue to meet automotive manufacturers growing demands," stated UPG's John Szkutnik, vice president, strategic business automotive.
About United Plastics Group
With headquarters in Westmont, United Plastics Group (www.unitedplasticsgroup.com) is one of the largest non-captive plastics injector molder companies in North America. With over 800,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity and 460 molding machines in 11 facilities in four countries, United Plastics Group is dedicated to being the leading provider of high quality, low cost, engineered injection molded products and services worldwide.
About Teleflex
Teleflex Inc. is a diversified Fortune 1000 company with annual revenues of more than $2 billion. The company designs, manufactures and distributes quality engineered products and services for the automotive, marine, industrial, aerospace and medical markets worldwide. Teleflex employs more than 18,000 people worldwide who focus on providing innovative solutions for customers. For more information, see www.teleflex.com.
