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Automotive Occupant Restraints Council Forms New Technical Committee

30 June 1999

Automotive Occupant Restraints Council Forms New Technical Committee

    LEXINGTON, Ky., June 29 -- Recognizing the increasingly
important roles electronics and sensing systems play in current and advanced
automotive occupant restraints, the Automotive Occupant Restraints Council
(AORC) formed the Electronics and Sensing Committee.
    Heading the new committee is Kenneth Francis, of Siemens Automotive,
Auburn Hills, Mich.  Francis is director of Safety and Chassis Electronic
Systems at Siemens and has more than ten years' experience in the advancement
of software and electronic controls for automotive restraint systems.
    AORC President George Kirchoff said, "We are pleased and fortunate to have
Ken Francis chair this important committee.  His vast experience and
enthusiasm are a perfect fit as this industry moves into the next millennium."
    Kirchoff said the Electronics and Sensing Committee is open to all AORC
members and joins six other AORC committees that focus on technical issues and
federal government regulations in the area of occupant restraint performance.
    "It would be extremely difficult and costly for any one of our members to
keep abreast of the constantly changing laws and regulations governing the
occupant restraints industry.  Additionally, an industry-wide committee
provides the capability to respond to new rule making, especially as it
applies to the federal Advanced Occupant Restraint Rule," Kirchoff said.
    Francis has outlined several areas of concentration for the committee,
including impact and occupant sensing technologies; crash avoidance
technologies; safety communication bus structures; algorithms for occupant
protection; the standardization of the overall safety system architecture, and
the recycling of safety equipment.
    "These are areas in which we, as safety experts, must focus if we are to
improve the overall safety for vehicle occupants and meet federal regulations
as well as manufacturers' needs," Francis said.
    Francis hopes to have the first committee meeting in July, at which time
the entire team will define the group's goals and objectives.
    AORC is a nonprofit organization representing domestic and foreign
manufacturers and suppliers of automotive air bags, safety belts and seating
systems.
    Siemens Automotive is a tier-one supplier of automotive and
electrical-electronic systems and components with applications covering
gasoline and diesel powertrain systems, safety and chassis systems, body
electronics, electric motor drives and driver information systems.  Worldwide
sales in fiscal year 1997/1998 totaled $3.3 billion.