Dr. Suresh Shah named SPE Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Shah is a technical specialist, with over 30 years of experience and more than 45 Intellectual Properties including patents and trade secrets - more than 40% of these are in production, which is far more than the 4% industrial average.
Dr. Suresh Shah, retired, Senior Technical Fellow at Delphi Corp., formerly General Motors – ACG (Automotive Components Group) has been named the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
Shah is a technical specialist, with over 30 years of experience and more than 45 Intellectual Properties including patents and trade secrets - more than 40% of these are in production, which is far more than the 4% industrial average. Shah advanced plastic processes including gas-assist injection molding, co-injection molding, microcellular molding, hybrid plastic/metal molding, direct (inline-compounded (ILC) long-fiber thermoplastic (D-LFT) composites and thin wall molding. He also advanced material developments involving natural fiber composites, nanocomposites, thermoplastic polyolefins (TPOs) and thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). This expertise lead to several game changing innovations including the single piece, all plastic door hardware module known as SuperPlug, and TPO thermoformable skin for instrument panels. He also developed many other innovative applications for exterior, interior and under-the-hood components. His rare combination of expertise in materials, processes, part design and analysis; has earned him a reputation as one of the best problem solvers in the industry. Shah has won more than 20 prestigious awards internationally. He is respected as an industry expert and a key opinion leader and has been interviewed over 30 times by industry trade journals, presented as a keynote speaker more than 15 times and has presented more than 80 technical papers worldwide. He was honored for his lifetime of expertise and innovation, contributing to the advancement of the automotive plastics industry, at the 47th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala on Nov. 8, 2017 in Livonia, Mich.
Shah credits his success to his education, work experience and participation in professional trade associations. Shah has four degrees: Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry/Plastics Engineering, and M.S. in Plastics Engineering, both at UMass, Lowell, Massachusetts., BSC-Tech in Plastic Technology at Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) University of Bombay, India; and a B.S. in Chemistry, St. Xavier’s College, University of Gujarat, India. He joined General Motors (GM) in 1985 and worked in several technical positions at GM and Delphi Exterior, Lighting, interior, Safety and Thermal Divisions. Before retirement, he worked as Senior Technical Fellow for many years which was the highest technical position in the corporation. Shah is an active volunteer advancing SPE, serving as councilor since 2016, board member since 1990, automotive division chair (2000) and technical committee member or chair for several conferences since 1987. He has also serviced other professional societies, universities and the next generation with his leadership.
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