Leading International Automotive Experts to Meet in Sunderland

SUNDERLAND, England, August 31 -- The eighth International Automotive Conference (IAC) to be held at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on October 5 and 6, will address the major issues facing the global automotive industry in today's difficult markets. Senior representatives from top automotive companies including Renault, Nissan, Ford, Honda, Cooper Standard Automotive and Pilkington are leading the speaker line up.

Organised by Ultima Media in partnership with the Sunderland City Council, the IAC 2005 agenda addresses current topics such as global logistics, mass customisation, car design, world-class manufacturing and new materials and technologies.

IAC's new format for 2005 gives delegates the opportunity to interact with top figures in the automotive world. Keynote addresses will be followed by panel discussions, which will no doubt lead to lively debates. Added attractions are visits to the Nissan and TRW plants giving delegates the opportunity to experience world class automotive and supplier manufacturing first hand.

A fascinating group of speakers and panellists will be at IAC 2005 to discuss this year's theme, 'The new automotive world - global challenges, local solutions'. They include:

    
    - David Cameron, General Manager, Purchasing; Nissan Europe
    - Pierre-Alain De Smedt, Head of Purchasing, Production, Logistics and
    Development; Renault
    - Trevor Mann, Deputy Managing Director; Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK
    - Alvin Mingle, Manager, Purchasing: Global Sourcing Development, Europe;
    Ford
    - Ray Runza, General Manager, Logistics; Honda Logistics Centre UK
    - David Henderson, Head of Purchasing; Cooper Standard
    - Dennis O'Brien, Global Supply Manager; Pilkington Automotive
    - Ben Rimmington, Director, Automotive Unit; Department of Trade and 
    Industry
    - Rodney Salmon, Head of Sales and Marketing; LINPAC
    - Claudio Bianchini, Director; National Research Centre of Italy
    - Dr Andreas Leason, Deputy Director; Fraunhofer Institute for Material
    and Beam Technology

IAC 2005 will be launched with a cocktail reception on October 5, and includes a gala dinner at the beautiful Lumley Castle on October 6. The event is supported by Gestamp UK Ltd, DFDS Tor Line, Tyne & Wear Development Company and TRW (gold sponsors) as well as Linpac and Rollet (silver sponsors).

For more information, please visit www.iacsunderland.com