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Society of Plastics Engineers Names Delphi 'Recycler of the Year'

11 November 1999

Society of Plastics Engineers Names Delphi 'Recycler of the Year'

    DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 10 -- The world's most prestigious
plastics organization has named Delphi Automotive Systems
"Recycler of the Year," marking the first time an automotive-related company
has ever won the award.
    The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Recycling Division presented the
award to Delphi today, during the SPE's Annual Recycling Conference (ARC '99)
in Dearborn, Mich.
    Delphi Automotive Systems won the award in the Overall Recycling category
for its 100-percent recyclable thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) skin instrument
panel.
    "The Recycler-of-the-Year award is presented for excellence and
achievement in the recycling of plastics," said John McAuley, manager of
environmental programs for Montell North America and awards chair for the SPE
Recycling Division.  "The awards are given annually by the SPE's recycling
division to showcase companies who have demonstrated leadership in advancing
plastics recycling in their industry."
    Delphi developed its groundbreaking technology to enable the use of offal,
or excess material, in its thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) instrument panel
skins with zero waste.  Previously, the offal from manufacturing instrument
panels and other products was either landfilled or sold into low-value
applications.
    To make the use of plant offal feasible, Delphi first had to design a
system to reclaim and reprocess the waste and then develop technology to co-
extrude TPO instrument panel skins.
    "Delphi's unique process enables us to produce a two-layered skin, the
base containing recycled material and the surface providing the interior color
match and texture properties customers expect," said Dr. Norm Kakarala,
research scientist for Delphi Automotive Systems' advanced development group
in Troy, Mich.
    To ensure the integrity of the new co-extruded TPO skin, Delphi engineers
at its Vandalia Engineering Center in Vandalia, Ohio, designed a system that
provides a method of regrind and the addition of stabilizers for proper
thermoforming performance.  Delphi has validated this in-plant recycling
system for reprocessing up to 7 times without loss of physical properties or
performance.
    In addition, Delphi's system is the first in the industry to use water-
based primer and topcoat systems on TPO components, thereby reducing ozone
forming volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
    "Delphi's innovative technology potentially opens the door for many other
applications where co-extrusion can help increase the use of recycled
material," said McAuley.  "This is exactly the kind of innovation that the SPE
is proud to highlight at its recycling conference each year."
    Delphi's recycled content TPO skin system was first commercialized in late
1998 on the 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class.  A Delphi TPO skin instrument panel
was also recently launched on the 2000 Pontiac Bonneville.  In the Pontiac
application, the TPO skin is on both the upper and lower panels, making it the
first and only full soft TPO instrument panel available in North America.
Delphi's TPO instrument panel skin represents a new generation of TPO product
technology.  TPO is a material made by combining rubber and polypropylene and
has been used in automotive applications for a decade.  Polypropylene, a
petroleum by-product, is the lightest weight and lowest cost form of plastic.
Rubberized polypropylene is classified as TPO when the material contains at
least 20 percent rubber.  The material and Delphi's process is currently being
expanded to other interior components and vehicle lines.
    Delphi Automotive Systems , with headquarters in Troy, Mich.,
USA, is a world leader in automotive component and systems technology and the
leader in interior systems.  Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics &
Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical Architecture; and Electronics &
Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive product solutions to complex
customer needs.  Delphi has approximately 201,000 employees and operates 168
wholly owned manufacturing sites, 38 joint ventures, 51 customer centers and
sales offices, and 28 technical centers in 37 countries.  Regional
headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Delphi can be
found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com