Spartech Polycom Wins SPE Automotive Innovation Interiors Award

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 27, 2002; Spartech Corporation announced today that its Spartech Polycom division has won the prestigious SPE Automotive Innovations award for the Interiors Category. This represents the fourth time in the past five years that Spartech Polycom has won this award.

This year's award was presented for the Speaker Pod Assembly for the DaimlerChrysler TJ (Jeep Wrangler). The use of Spartech Polycom's ReinFORCE GRPP, one of Spartech's "Family of Alloy Plastics," allowed Kautex Textron to design a blow molded, water-resistant part that replaced a steel and foam housing with a 35% weight savings and 54% cost savings for DaimlerChrysler. The effort on this application is a direct result of Spartech's continual focus on research & development and new Product Transformations, which replace traditional materials with improved polymer-based solutions.

The use of ReinFORCE GRPP versus the previous system allows for improved sound quality, direct overhead lighting, and meets the stringent automotive requirements for head impact. This innovation also represents the first blow molded class "A" surface appearance speaker enclosure.

Spartech Polycom has previously received this award for the Jeep Grand Cherokee load floor, the Pontiac Aztec convenience tray, and the DaimlerChrysler PT Cruiser package shelf. All of these applications were Product Transformations utilizing Spartech's Alloy Plastics -- proprietary products that combine advanced engineered thermoplastic compounds & additives with innovative manufacturing techniques.

Spartech Corporation is a leading producer of engineered thermoplastic materials, polymeric compounds, and molded & profile products, which has 43 facilities located throughout North America and Europe, with annual production capacity and sales of more than 1.2 billion pounds and $900 million, respectively.