Delphi Honors Engineers; Inducts 103 Into Innovation Hall of Fame
6 October 1997
Delphi Honors Engineers; Inducts 103 Into Innovation Hall of Fame
TROY, Mich., Oct. 6 -- Delphi Automotive Systems celebrated
excellence in engineering Friday evening, Oct. 3, by inducting 103 new members
into its Innovation Hall of Fame.
Employees from each of Delphi's six divisions and Delco Electronics Corp.
are eligible for membership in the Hall of Fame, which began in 1995 with the
induction of 80 employees.
In addition to inducting the new members, 28 current members were honored
with a special recognition medallion plaque for their achievements in securing
additional patents, trade secrets, completing a defensive publication, or
earning GM's prestigious Boss Kettering Award (see definitions).
BATTENBERG: "YOU'RE INVENTING THE FUTURE" ...
Delphi President J. T. Battenberg III and the general managers from each
of the respective divisions presented the awards to the inductees. Battenberg
said the Innovation Hall of Fame members are vital to helping Delphi secure a
strong future:
"I told the inaugural Hall of Fame attendees in 1995 that they were the
'heroes' of Delphi. I believe that more than ever today. You -- individually
and collectively -- are the creative forces who will make sure Delphi doesn't
just meet customer needs ... we exceed them.
"You make sure Delphi doesn't just provide facts or information ... you
provide knowledge and wisdom. You make sure Delphi doesn't just become known
as a supplier ... you make sure Delphi becomes known as a partner.
"In the simplest terms," Battenberg said, "you are inventing the future."
RUNKLE: CREATIVITY FLOWS TO THE BOTTOM LINE ...
Donald L. Runkle, who leads Delphi's cross-divisional Engineering Task
Team and is general manager of Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems,
served as emcee of the black tie awards ceremony that more than 200 employees
attended with their special guests.
Runkle praised the Innovation Hall of Fame members for their ability in
anticipating and setting industry trends and positioning Delphi's customers --
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) -- to win.
"Essential to fostering innovation is the ability to create an environment
where people really understand their customers, are encouraged to identify and
tackle problems, and dream how things could be made better," Runkle said.
"This is the true measure of success -- providing our customers with high-
quality, innovative products at affordable prices -- when and where they are
needed."
Runkle said the creative energy demonstrated by Delphi's inventors
translates into "a new engineering or manufacturing process every six hours
and, on average, one new product each week."
"It is that level of creativity and commitment to bring the best products
and systems to the market for the OEM customer that is required to be the
number one automotive supplier in the industry," he said.
In 1996, Delphi secured 1,336 records of invention, 273 patents, 115
defensive publications and 42 trade secrets.
CRITERIA FOR INDUCTION, SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
Honorees are selected based on criteria requiring a minimum of 10
intellectual property awards, five of which must be patents or a Boss
Kettering Award. The remaining five awards can be a combination of patents,
trade secrets and defensive publications. The Boss Kettering Award is given
annually by General Motors for inventions that provide significant
contributions when in production.
Special recognition awards of Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum were also
given to those individuals who earned additional intellectual property awards.
A Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum award signifies that an individual has
earned an additional 20, 30, 40 and 50 points, respectively, in their overall
total.
DEFINITIONS:
* Boss Kettering Award: The Boss Kettering Award is named in honor of
Charles F. "Boss" Kettering, the first vice president of GM Research
Laboratories. The distinguished award is presented annually to individuals
whose patentable inventions provide a significant benefit to customers.
* Defensive Publication: A defensive publication is a written description
including drawings of the invention that is published anonymously in a
technical publication to prevent others from patenting the same idea.
* Patent: A patent is a government issued document that signifies a
contract between the U.S. and the inventor that grants the inventor the right
to exclude others from making, using and selling the invention for 17 years.
* Trade Secret: A trade secret is an idea with an unlimited life that is
withheld from public knowledge. Rights to the idea are preserved in secrecy.
Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is the
world's largest and most diversified supplier of automotive components and
systems. Delphi has more than 174,000 employees with three regional marketing
units in Europe, Asia/Pacific and South America, and operates 198
manufacturing facilities, 46 ventures and 17 technical centers in 35
countries.
Delphi can be found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com.
SOURCE Delphi Automotive Systems