RetroUSA Receives Automotive Innovation Award from Society of Plastic Engineers

(9 November 2010)

SPE® NAMES FIINALISTS, CATEGORY, GRAND AWARD WINNERS IN 40TH AUTOMOTIIVE INNOVATION AWARDS COMPETITION TROY, (DETROIT) MICH. –

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) today announced that Retro USA is the recipient of its Automotive Innovation Award in the category of Performance and Customization. The award was presented at the 40th-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries, on November 9, in Detroit. This annual event typically draws 600 – 800 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, consultants, and media.

Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers, and polymer producers submit nominations describing their part, system, or complete vehicle module and why it merits the claim as Year’s Most Innovative Use of Plastics. The award cited Retro USA’s Chrome-TechTM Bumper as the “largest and thinnest chrome-film thermoformed TPO fascia to date. It offers excellent impact resistance and gravelometer performance, is fully recyclable, and offers a lustrous chromed surface while eliminating hexavalent chromium chemicals. The result is a lighter, less costly bumper cover that is more environmentally benign.” Retro USA offers Chrome-Tech bumpers for the 05-09 Mustangs, Challengers and Camaros. Additional iconic-style pieces are also available for those models.

According to the 2010 Automotive Innovation Awards program chair, Jeff Helms, global automotive manager, Ticona Engineering Polymers, “We were really pleased with the number of nominations we received this year, the diversity of automakers represented, and the quality of innovation they displayed. At each round of the competition, our judges had a hard time selecting finalists and then winners from all the strong nominations we received. After four decades, it’s great to see that innovation is alive and well in the automotive plastics arena and that this industry is coming back stronger than ever with higher quality, better fuel economy, using more sustainable materials and manufacturing, and offering consumers greater features, value, and safety.”

Helms noted at the awards gala that “The automotive industry has begun a slow and steady recovery after the economic crisis of 2009. That recovery is evident in the number of nominations received for this year’s competition —up 20% from last year. What is very encouraging is that during the industry restructuring in 2008 and 2009, innovation had become even more important to the sustainability of the industry at large. The increase in nominations this year and the high amount of innovation they all represent is the result of investments made at a time when investment funds were very scarce. The creativity and determination of the men and women in this industry are a constant source of inspiration.”

More information may be found at www.speautomotive.com/inno.htm

Media Contacts:

Donna Green
Retro USA
donnagreen@retrousa.net
952-435-8398

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