TRW Occupant Protection Technology Selected as Finalist for PACE Award
Innovative Active Control Retractor Links Passive & Active Safety
LIVONIA, Mich., Oct. 16 -- TRW Automotive's Active Control Retractor (ACR) technology -- the first active seat belt system on the market -- has been named a finalist in the European Product category for the 2004 Automotive News PACE Award competition. The PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) awards program -- jointly sponsored by Automotive News, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and the Transportation Research Center Inc. -- has been referred to as the "academy award for innovation in the automotive industry."
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010824/TRWLOGO )
"We are honored to be nominated for this prestigious award and are delighted to be recognized again for this 'game-changing' safety innovation, which demonstrates TRW Automotive's unique mission and ability to integrate passive and active safety systems," said Peter J. Lake, vice president, Sales and Business Development for TRW Automotive.
Introduced on the 2003 Mercedes S-Class, TRW Automotive's ACR is among the industry's first technologies linking active and passive safety. The ACR is designed to use braking and stability control sensor information to sense a potential accident. The system accordingly removes the seatbelt slack to help better position the occupant in relation to the vehicle's airbag supplemental restraint system. The ACR's electronic drive unit, which is integrated into the seat belt system, acts as part of the Mercedes-Benz Pre-Safe system and resets itself if the critical event is avoided.
The ACR technology was developed in close cooperation by the core engineering team at TRW Automotive's state-of-the-art occupant safety system facility in Alfdorf, Germany and their engineering counterparts at Mercedes- Benz.
ACR has been honored with Spain's Motortec Galeria de Innovacion (Gallery of Innovation) 2003 award and is one component in Mercedes-Benz's Pre-Safe system, which has been recognized with awards from the World Traffic Symposium and several prestigious European publications.
Recently, TRW Automotive signed a contract to provide ACR units for a European platform scheduled to begin production in 2005. The company has already begun the development process for its second-generation ACR system.
About TRW
With 2002 sales of $10.6 billion in 2002, TRW Automotive ranks among the world's top 10 automotive suppliers. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, USA, the company employs approximately 62,000 people in 22 countries. Its products include integrated vehicle control and driver assist systems, braking systems, steering systems, suspension systems, occupant safety systems (seat belts and airbags), electronics, engine components, fastening systems and aftermarket replacement parts and services. TRW Automotive news is available on the Internet at www.trwauto.com .
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