Archive for the ‘Automotive’ Category
SPE Automotive Innovation finalists
Monday, October 24th, 2011
Today the Society of the Plastics Engineers Automotive Division named the finalists for its 41st annual awards competition. The winners will be announced Nov. 9. Here are the finalists: CATEGORY: Body Exterior SPOILER WITH INTEGRATED ANTENNA & AMPLIFIER OEM Make...
Wolverine Plastics: a 65-year-old fairy tale?
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Stories about the pioneering plastics plastics firms can be fascinating, and this is one of the best. The Milan News-Leader posted a great story yesterday about a local injection molder, Wolverine Plastics Inc. The firm apparently went out of business...
Buyers cite design problems in vehicle interiors
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Defects and malfunctions can be fixed, but design problems are forever. And auto interiors are full of them, according to a new report from J.D. Power and Associates. According to the 2011 U.S. Interior Quality and Satisfaction Study, released today,...
If you’re an auto supplier, you’re talking resin pricing
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
Processors of all types have been dealing with rising prices for many commodity and engineering resins this year. For auto suppliers like Magna International Inc., that signals the start of negotiations on who pays for the increases. Magna CEO Don...
US plastics sector ‘on the edge’
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
U.S. manufacturing is at a "critical crossroads" according to a new report from consulting firm Booz & Co., with the plastics sector "on the edge" -- it could become a global competitor or see its operations displaced to other countries....
Boeing’s Dreamliner gets more cupholders
Monday, August 15th, 2011
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has been getting attention for years for its extensive use of lightweight composite plastics. But last week, when the company unveiled the first 787 ready for delivery, it was a pair of "simpler plastic innovations" that caught...
Thoughts on the economy, from Wilbur Ross
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
With the Dow Jones average jumping back and forth, and unemployment staying high, it's natural for plastics executives to be concerned. Wilbur Ross, the owner/founder of one of the industry's biggest companies, International Automotive Components, shared his views on stock...
Making a difference in Detroit: Eleanor Josaitis
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Many Plastics Blog readers in the Detroit area, including those in the auto industry, knew Eleanor Josaitis. Josaitis died this morning of cancer at Angela Hospice in Livonia, Mich. She was 79. According to Crain's Detroit Business, Josaitis and the...
Watch a Chevy Volt assembled in 90 seconds
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
Here's a cool bit of video that Plastics News Detroit-based reporter Rhoda Miel noticed today. It's a time-lapse video from General Motors showing a Chevrolet Volt being assembled in Hamtramck. There are lots of robots, and with the time-lapse technology...
Emerging trend: custom graphics for car exteriors?
Friday, October 15th, 2010
An item in The Wall Street Journal's "Driver's Seat" blog caught my eye today, about a product that seems like a potential growth market for plastics companies. According to the post, Nissan Motor Co. is working with a company called...