DETROIT, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineers and designers planning to
attend the 2005 SAE World Congress opening here next week believe "emphasizing
consumer-facing innovations" and "increasing collaboration along the value
chain" are the top strategies that will strengthen the auto industry,
according to the 11th annual DuPont Automotive/SAE survey.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050407/DETH017-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050407/DETH017-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050407/DETH017-c )
Respondents also say that consumers have the most value for enhanced
safety systems (64 percent), better vehicle performance (41 percent), fuel
efficient, environmentally friendly vehicles (34 percent) and styling (34
percent).
The survey, conducted by Automotive Consulting Group, Ann Arbor, annually
tracks trends and concerns of SAE members who say they plan to attend the
World Congress, April 11-14 in Detroit. This year, SAE marks its 100th
anniversary.
Top challenges facing the automotive design and engineering community in
2005 are cost reduction (26 percent); safety (15 percent); fuel economy and
alternative powertrains (11 percent each), according to the survey.
"Cost still tops the list of challenges faced by the industry, but when
you look over time, cost has fallen from a high of 44 percent in 2003 to 26
percent this year," said Christopher S. Murphy, automotive director - Americas
for DuPont Automotive Performance Materials. "It appears the focus is
shifting to new priorities -- initial cost reduction is and likely always will
be a driver, but it is not the end in and of itself. Collaborating to deliver
customer-focused innovation that offers final cost-benefit vehicle value is
the mantra -- and it is through mutually beneficial business relationships
that span the global value chain that we will deliver innovation to consumers
at affordable prices."
Murphy focused on one of several new applications on display at DuPont
booth #1959 that illustrate the power of collaboration. Toyota led a team
from DuPont Automotive, molder Uchiyama Manufacturing Corp. of Okayama-City,
Okayama (Japan) and Tier One supplier Aisan Industry Co. Ltd. Of Obu, Aichi
(Japan) to deliver a water spacer jacket of DuPont(TM) Zytel(R) HTN high-
performance polyamide for the Toyota Zero Crown engine.
The water jacket spacer improves engine cooling by transferring heat away
from key areas of the combustion chamber to equalize cylinder wall
temperatures. Toyota engineers credit the improved cooling with increasing
fuel efficiency by 3 tenths of a mile per gallon, or 1 percent, while
increasing engine life.
"The components and systems that deliver the greatest value are the ones
with mutual benefits through the value chain and to consumers; in this case
contributing to improved fuel efficiency," Murphy said.
Collaboration Speeds Safety Systems to Market
Perennially paramount on the minds of engineers and designers planning to
attend SAE are enhanced safety systems. "We see double-digit growth for
safety systems that advance efforts in collision avoidance, that detect
occupant positioning and actively deploy interior systems to minimize injury,"
said Michael L. Sanders, global director automotive safety. "Tied to other
trends in this study, we believe that close-collaboration among design,
engineering, materials development and prototypers throughout the value chain
will help bring these innovations to market faster and more cost-effectively."
In booth #1959, DuPont Automotive is showcasing global materials and
development capabilities for blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control,
high- and low-frequency radar systems, head-up-display, frontal crash sensing
and occupant sensing.
"Our Electronic Technologies group has adapted high- and low-frequency
military radar to commercial applications," Sanders said. "We meet with
customers and go over their design parameters for things like signal loss and
antenna type, then we turn to our experts at Research Triangle Park, N.C., who
draw on our vast database of best practices to help the customer through the
design and prototype phases. This gets their products to the market faster,
giving them a competitive advantage."
Recent crash safety rankings are driving consumer demand for side air bag
and air curtain systems, more robust anti-intrusion protection and laminated
side glass, particularly in small cars where efficient packaging and weight
reduction are essential. "Side-impact improvements will require an innovative
systems approach that takes advantage of lightweight engineering plastics and
other materials," Sanders said. "All of these factors must be optimized to
meet the proposed NHTSA standards and IIHS crash worthiness ratings."
Automotive Safety Gets a New "Look"
Design is very important to consumers, say 34 percent of SAE attendees,
"and when you can add design to a strong and desirable vehicle feature, you
have an innovation that may just catch the consumer's eye," said David Lee,
marketing manager for DuPont Automotive Glass Laminating Solutions (GLS)
Americas.
In booth #1959, DuPont is introducing DuPont(TM) SentryGlas(R)
Expressions(TM), which allows images to be digitally printed directly on
SentryGlas(R) safety window interlayer so designers can offer durable
photographic or graphic images inside laminated glass. The process uses a new
DuPont proprietary ink jet printing process.
"There are a number of opportunities for designers and brand managers
alike -- anything from brand logos and vehicle 'badging,' advertising on
commercial vehicles -- introducing color to the shade band, back window,
sunroofs and or sidelite," said Lee. (Editors - see separate release New
DuPont Technology Gives Auto Safety Glass a New "Look")
Which Emerging Technologies are "Driving" the Future?
SAE attendees predict that alternatively powered vehicles (27 percent) and
advanced electrical and electronic enhancements (20 percent) will deliver the
greatest industrywide impact over the next 5 to 10 years. When asked which
direction future powertrain development is headed, survey respondents said
hybrids (38 percent) and optimization of internal combustion engines (36
percent). Further development of fuel cells remains the third priority this
year at 21 percent.
"Changes in the powertrain segment and the evolution of hybrid technology
is nothing short of dramatic," said Murphy. He pointed out that the North
American International Auto Show in January was used to announce more than a
dozen hybrids in the coming years for all vehicle classes -- from sedans to
SUVs and including mass transit. "At the same time, there are still more
opportunities to optimize the internal combustion engine for better fuel
efficiency and greater engine performance."
In booth #1959, DuPont highlights new materials and applications -- from
sealed cylinder head covers, air ducts, engine cooling system components to an
oil tank featured on the new BMW K 1200 S motorcycle -- that use high-
performance thermoplastics to reduce weight, cost and deliver added
performance and functionality in powertrain.
"For the next three to four years, according to the survey results, the
focus will continue to be on the internal combustion engine, but as sales of
hybrids rise, so will the technological focus of the industry," said Murphy.
Weight, Cost, Durability Drive Materials Selections
When searching for a new material, SAE attendees are looking for those
that reduce cost (52 percent); offer better durability/high performance
physical properties (48 percent); and reduce weight (46 percent).
In booth #1959, DuPont is featuring several new materials to complement
its high-performance portfolio, including:
* A new family of more than a dozen grades of "superstructural" materials
reinforced with short- and long-glass fibers and other enhancement
technologies offer stiffness, strength and impact resistance properties that
are closer to metal than conventional engineering plastics. (Editors - See
separate release DuPont Superstructural Plastics Push Back Barriers to Metal
Replacement)
* A new ultra low warp DuPont(TM) Zytel(R) HTN high-performance
polyamide, especially important for underhood electrical component boxes,
warps 79 percent less than a typically used polymer. (Editors - See separate
release New DuPont Plastic Promises Better Electrical Connectors, Control
Boxes and More)
"There's no doubt that the science of polymeric materials technology is
the core of DuPont," said Murphy. "But our real value to the industry is
working collaboratively, globally and early in the design phase to help make
sure the application delivers the cost, weight and performance benefits our
customers expect."
DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work
by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better,
safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a
wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture,
nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and
construction, transportation and apparel.
The DuPont Oval, DuPont(TM), The miracles of science(TM), Zytel(R) and
SentryGlas(R) are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its
affiliates.
SOURCE DuPont Polymers
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Related links:
http://automotive.dupont.com
http://plastics.dupont.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050407/DETH017-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050407/DETH017-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050407/DETH017-c
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Carole Davies of DuPont Automotive,
+1-248-583-8112, Fax: +1-248-583-4556,
carole.a.davies@usa.dupont.com ; or Bruce McLaughlan of PRISM
Public Relations, +1-313-583-8093, Fax: +1-313-583-8084,
bmclaughlan@prismteam.com , for DuPont Polymers
NOTE TO EDITORS: Survey charts and referenced releases are
available at http://automotive.dupont.com or
http://plastics.dupont.com . Please do not assign a reader
service number to any article based on the information in this
release. Instead, please direct your readers to
http://plastics.dupont.com for additional information.
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