Eight Winners Of Prestigious Automotive News PACE 2000 Awards
7 March 2000
Ernst & Young Announces Eight Winners Of Prestigious Automotive News PACE 2000 Awards
Autoliv, Delphi Delco Electronics Systems, Gentex, Gleason,
LumiLeds Lighting, PPG Industries, Rieter Automotive Systems and Siemens
Automotive Selected Best of the Best in Innovative Products and Practices
DETROIT, March 6 Five U.S. and three European automotive
suppliers were named winners of an Automotive News PACE(TM) 2000 Award at a
ceremony held last evening at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.
The prestigious award is presented annually to companies that have
demonstrated a commitment to value-driven innovation in product, technology,
process and management practices. This year was the first in which both North
American suppliers and their European operations were eligible to enter the
industry-wide award competition.
"Once again, the automotive supplier community continues to surprise us
with the high level of creativity and skill in developing new solutions to
problems," says Lee Sage, Ernst & Young's Global Automotive Leader. "These
are the companies that are setting the standards for the rest of the
industry."
Keith Crain, the publisher of Automotive News, added, "As we continue to
sponsor the PACE Awards every year, I see more and more suppliers trying to
outdo one another in bringing new and innovative products to market. I
congratulate them for their superb performance and commitment to excellence."
The eight winners were selected on the basis of having introduced outstanding
new products and better practices in the automotive industry, out of a pool of
24 finalists.
The Five North American winners were:
-- Autoliv, Inc. (Ogden, Utah), for the ASH-2 Nitrous Side Airbag Inflator
-- Delphi Delco Electronics Systems (Kokomo, Ind.), for the Forewarn(R)
Adaptive Cruise Control System
-- Gentex Corp. (Zeeland, Mich.), for binary complementary synthetic
white LED illuminators: The New White Light
-- Gleason Corp. (Rochester, N.Y.), for the POWERDRYCUT(TM) Process and
the UMCUltima(TM)noise and gear strength optimization
-- LumiLeds Lighting, U.S., LLC (San Jose, Calif.), for SnapLED(TM)
assembly technology in automotive lighting applications
The three European winners were:
-- PPG Industries, Inc. (Dingolfing, Germany), for Enviracryl powder
clear coat
-- Rieter Automotive Systems (Winterthur, Switzerland), for the Rieter
UltraLight Vehicle "Noise Management" System
-- Siemens Automotive Corp. (Regensburg, Germany), for the KeylessGo(TM)
passive entry and ignition system
Each of the eight winners received a citation outlining the factors that
made their application outstanding in the judges' view. These citations are
attached and posted on the Ernst & Young Web site, http://www.ey.com/pace .
Keynote speaker Louise Goeser, vice-president of quality, Ford Motor
Company, cited the evolving partnerships between suppliers, Ford and other
original equipment manufacturers.
"Not long ago OEMs maintained an arms-length relationship with suppliers,
but today we need full partners," said Goeser. "What amazes me is that you've
given us everything we asked for and more -- much more."
Now in its sixth year, the annual PACE(TM) (Premier Automotive Suppliers'
Contributions to Excellence) Awards program recognizes standout automotive
suppliers who have excelled in adapting and reinventing their companies or
their products and processes to meet the growing service and quality demands
of their customers -- the world's major automotive manufacturers. Winners are
selected by an independent panel of judges who review applications and conduct
comprehensive site visits of finalist companies to evaluate both their
innovations and management teams.
Automotive News and Ernst & Young are co-presenters and sponsors of the
PACE Award program. Detroit's WWJ Newsradio 950 and the City of Sunderland,
UK, are also sponsors of the PACE Awards, which are dedicated to promoting
product, manufacturing and service achievements by automotive suppliers of all
sizes. For profiles of previous PACE winners, visit the PACE web site at
http://www.ey.com/pace . For more information call 1-800-816-PACE.
Ernst & Young (http://www.ey.com ) is one of the world's leading providers of
dot-company services in assurance, consulting, corporate finance and tax.
More than 85,000 people around the world act as creative catalysts, joining
forces with clients to do all it takes -- From Thought To Finish(TM) -- to
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resources and knowledge to help them rapidly reach their goals. Ernst & Young
refers to the U.S. firm of Ernst & Young LLP and other members of the global
Ernst & Young organization.
Founded in 1925, Automotive News is published every Monday in Detroit by
Crain Communications Inc., a privately held company that publishes over 30
consumer, business and trade publications. This newsweekly provides in-depth
coverage of the auto industry and is written for original equipment
manufacturers, their franchised dealers and suppliers. Readers are primarily
decision-makers from all segments of the automotive industry, as well as
others allied with it. It is the only 100% paid industry publication.
The City of Sunderland, the UK's fastest growing automotive center, is home to
Nissan's UK operation, the most productive car plant in Europe, and 30
component manufacturing companies including TRW, Calsonic and Magna. The
City's award-winning economic development team delivers a first class service
award to inward investors.
WWJ Newsradio 950 is Detroit's only all-news radio station, serving the
area's largest radio audience. A CBS Network station, WWJ covers business and
the automotive industry with two dedicated automotive reporters, twice-hourly
business updates, live reports from the Detroit Bureau of the Wall Street
Journal, and perspectives from WWJ's business correspondent.
PROFILES OF THE PACE(TM) 2000
NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN WINNERS
North America:
Autoliv, Inc.
Ogden, Utah
For ASH-2 Nitrous Side Inflator
http://www.autoliv.com
Autoliv's ASH-2 inflator makes use of the chemical process of dissociation
rather than combustion to produce a heated gas for inflating side airbags.
The inflator produces a gas at a temperature that is relatively low compared
with other methods, reducing the likelihood of burns and ensuring a longer
duration of inflation. In addition, this system features enhanced stability
and a less complex structure of the inflation mechanism and system itself.
Benefits include positive impact on design, performance, material handling,
durability, safety, and cost.
Delphi Delco Electronics Systems
Kokomo, Indiana
For Forewarn(R) Adaptive Cruise Control System (ACC)
http://www.delphiauto.com/index.cfm?location=382
Forewarn(R) ACC is an integrated, radar-based system that uses a
miniaturized radar sensor to "see" what is happening in the lane in front of
the vehicle. This information is used to adjust the vehicle's speed via
automatic throttle control and limited braking, to maintain a driver-
selectable following distance from the traffic ahead. The driver, who retains
ultimate control of the vehicle, determines the "gap" setting, and can
override the system with the throttle or brake. When the lane ahead is clear,
the system maintains the driver-determined cruise speed. With ever increasing
traffic density, the Forewarn(R) ACC provides a more convenient, stress free
driving environment.
Gentex Corp.
Zeeland, Michigan
For Binary Complimentary Synthetic White LED Illuminators:
The New White Light
http://www.gentex.com
LED lights have several advantages over incandescent illumination in
automotive applications: reduced heat and space requirements, longevity,
reduced service requirements, and so on. Their use, however, has been limited
to direct-view applications, e.g., turn signals, tail lights, warning lights,
due to color restrictions. Gentex took up the challenge to create what didn't
exist-a white-light LED that could work not just in direct view applications,
but as an illuminator. A sustained commitment to R&D and experimentation
succeeded in a patented "additive color mixing" solution. In practical
application, this became an illuminator (map lights) built into the confined
space of a rear-view mirror housing. The binary LED illuminator is combined
with a unique multi-element plastic lens, to create an innovation that is both
practical and widely applicable.
Gleason Corp.
Rochester, New York
For POWERDRYCUT(TM) Process
For UMCUltima(TM) Gear Noise and Gear Strength Optimization
http://www.gleason.com
POWERDRYCUT(TM) is a bevel gear-cutting process with a claimed 80%
reduction in manufacturing time and 50% reduction in cost. The process, which
has rendered other cutting machines obsolete, allows production of bevel gears
in an oil-free environment, thus eliminating the need for solvents. Savings
are also realized in reduced floor space and energy requirements.
POWERDRYCUT(TM) equipment has enjoyed rapid and widespread acceptance on
both sides of the Atlantic. The Gleason Works employs a combination of
software and machine tools to modulate gear surfaces in order to cancel out
dynamic disturbances naturally generated by meshing gears. The UMCUltima(TM)
process produces gears optimized for noise reduction or even elimination under
various loads or build positions. Noise is reduced by 80% under all loads
without any loss of productivity. The process is equally applicable to bevel
and cylindrical gears.
LumiLeds Lighting, U.S., LLC
A Philips Lighting and Agilent Technologies Joint Venture
San Jose, California
For SnapLED(R) Assembly Technology for Automotive Lighting Applications
SnapLED(R) combines the brightest red and amber LED technology with a
formable substrate. This assembly technique can create three-dimensional LED
arrays that are ideal for rear-combination lamp (RCL) applications. The form
of the LED array can be matched to the form of the outer lens allowing for
thin signal lamp designs; at approximately one half of a conventional
incandescent lamp. The 2000 Cadillac DeVille is the first product
vehicle featuring this innovation in an all-LED RCL. Agilent Technologies(1)
is working with vehicle OEMs worldwide to implement SnapLED(TM) RCLs on future
vehicles. The benefits of LED signal lights include long-life, decreased
power consumption, quick turn-on time, more compact lamp packages and
increased styling flexibility.
(1) SnapLED technology became the property of the expanded LumiLeds
Lighting joint venture equally owned by Hewlett Packard and Royal Phillips
Electronics in November, following the completion of definitive written
agreements and the approval by government regulatory agencies.
Europe:
PPG Industries, Inc.
Dingolfing, Germany
For Enviracryl Powder Clear Coat
http://www.ppg.com
A strong partnership between BMW and PPG in Dingolfing, Germany, led to a
successful outcome in a search for an innovative OEM powder clearcoat that
meets all expected performance standards. Benefits of being able to utilize
powder clearcoat in production are significant: recyclability, reduced waste
and waste disposal provisions, no solvents required, environmental
friendliness, higher first run capability, fewer defects, and appearance equal
to that of high performance liquid clearcoats. What started as a laboratory
curiosity proved to be a practical coating system with lower overall
investment costs.
Rieter Automotive Systems
Winterthur, Switzerland
For RIETER ULTRA LIGHT Vehicle 'Noise Management' System
http://www.rieter.com
Rieter Ultra Light, developed by Rieter Automotive, Winterthur,
Switzerland, is an advanced technology consisting of tuned, multilayer fiber
and foam materials scientifically engineered and applied in order to reduce
disagreeable acoustic intrusions as part of overall NVH reduction. In
addition to improved acoustic properties and modular assembly, Rieter claims a
reduction up to 50% of the weight of an NVH acoustic attenuation system. The
company has used its R&D worldwide to create multifunctional parts that can
provide optimal balance between damping, insulation, absorption, volume, and
weight. While acoustic attenuation is systematically accomplished to world
standards, an estimated saving of around 20 kg per car makes this a
significant accomplishment. The Rieter system is now being incorporated in
programs by a growing number of OEMs on both sides of the Atlantic.
Siemens Automotive Corp.
Regensburg, Germany
For KeylessGo(TM)
http://www.siemensauto.com
Years of development by Siemens Automotive through a partnership with
Mercedes-Benz, resulted in the first KeylessGo(TM) application on the 1999
Mercedes S-Class. KeylessGo(TM) is a type of passive entry and passive
ignition system that replaces the ignition key, engine immobilizer function
and remote keyless entry systems with an intelligent identification card.
Encompassing all the security features one expects of a key or fob, the system
will allow the proper user, who has the card in his or her possession, simply
to approach the car, open the door, and press a button to start the vehicle.
There is no need to find, fumble for, or take out anything in order to be
"recognized" by the car. The vehicle unlocks the door only when the driver is
standing by the car and the handle is pulled. KeylessGo(TM) could be sold in
North America as soon as 2000.