PACE winners reap rewards for innovation
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Eleven suppliers with important new products and processes won top prizes at the annual Automotive News PACE Awards presentation on Monday, April 11.
Many winning entries squeezed more miles from a gallon of gasoline -- an important mission for the industry as federal fuel standards rise. For example, Federal-Mogul Corp. won two PACE Awards, one for a low-friction piston oil ring and another for a coating that cuts piston friction 18 percent.
The winners and their categories:
Product
• Delphi Automotive, Troy, Mich. -- Delphi Multec GDi fuel injector
• Federal-Mogul Corp., Nuremberg, Germany, and Southfield, Mich. -- EcoTough piston coating
• Federal-Mogul Corp., Burscheid, Germany, and Southfield, Mich. -- Low-friction LKZ® oil ring
• Henkel Corp., Madison Heights, Mich. -- Terophon high damping foam
• Honeywell Turbo Technologies, Torrance, Calif. -- Honeywell DualBoost turbocharger for medium-duty diesel engines
• Janesville Acoustics, Southfield, Mich. -- Molded-fiber instrument panel closeouts with integrated lighting and ducts
• Key Safety Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich. -- Inflatabelt inflatable seat belt system
• Mahle, Stuttgart, Germany -- Electrical waste gate actuator
• OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH, Regensburg, Germany -- OSTAR headlamp, LED headlamp light source
• Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany -- Bosch P2 parallel full hybrid system
• Schaeffler Technologies, Troy, Mich. -- INA lightweight balance shaft with roller bearings
Manufacturing Process
• Takata Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich. -- Vacuum folding technology
Innovation Partnership Winners
• Chrysler Group for its partnership with Janesville Acoustics on molded fiber instrument panel closeouts
• Ford Motor Co. for its partnership with Dassault Systèmes on powertrain digital integration and automation
• Ford Motor Co. for its partnership with Key Safety Systems on the Inflatabelt inflatable seat belt system
The winners were deemed by a panel of independent judges to be the best at creating innovative products and processes. The winners were chosen from 35 finalist entries submitted by 25 companies. Summaries of the finalists are at autonews.com/pacefinalists
In addition, the judges named three Innovation Partnership winners. Chrysler won a partnership award for its work with Janesville Acoustics on molded-fiber instrument panel closeouts. And Ford Motor Co. won two for partnerships with Dassault Systèmes on powertrain automation and with Key Safety Systems on an inflatable seat belt.
PACE stands for Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence. The awards, now in their 17th year, are sponsored by Ernst & Young, Transportation Research Center Inc. and Automotive News.
You can reach Charles Child at cchild@crain.com.
