The Society of Plastics Engineers names top five innovators

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Danbury, Conn., U.S.) has announced its Top Five Most Innovative Hall of Fame Award winners for its 50^th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala. SPE says the gala is the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries.

The Hall of Fame (HOF) committee — which consists of engineers, managers, executives, technical experts, SPE fellows, SPE honored service members and automotive industry technical experts who have served at least 30 years in the industry — selected the top five leading innovations from the previous 37 winners from 1983 to 2019. The criteria for a HOF award is that the nomination must be in use for at least 15 years; in addition, it must be game changing, successful worldwide, be innovative in materials, process and application and still be in use.

The Top Five Most Innovative HOF Award winners are:

1. High-Density Polyethelene (HDPE) Fuel Tank awarded to Volkswagon AG (Berlin, Germany) in 2000.
2. Front & Rear Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) Bumper Fascias awarded to Generals Motors Co. (Detroit, Mich., U.S.) in 2010.
3. Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) Windshield Interlayer awarded to Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, Mich., U.S.) in 1988.
4. PA (Nylon) Thermoplastic Intake Manifold awarded to Porsche AG (Stuttgart, Germany) in 2005.
5. Polycarbonate (PC) Headlamp Assembly awarded to Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, Mich., U.S.) in 2007.

The winners will be honored at this year’s awards gala on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Mich., U.S.