AUBURN HILLS, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), along with its parent company Teijin, announced today they received the 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Innovation Award, Body Exterior Category, as well as the overall Grand Award, for the carbon fiber pickup box used in the 2019 GMC Sierra Denali CarbonPro edition. The awards were presented on November 6 at the 49th Annual SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala in Livonia, Michigan.
The carbon fiber pickup box, branded CarbonPro® by the customer, is the industry’s first commercial application of the material Sereebo®, a proprietary, carbon fiber nylon thermoplastic material that is fully recyclable. The CarbonPro box delivers best-in-class dent, scratch and corrosion resistance, while saving 62 pounds over a steel box. Its durability eliminates the need for a bed liner, saving an additional 40 pounds of mass. In addition, the advanced manufacturing techniques used to mold Sereebo into the CarbonPro box are the first mass production technologies developed for carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics suitable for high-volume programs.
“It is an honor to receive this top innovation award from SPE,” said Steve Rooney, CEO, Continental Structural Plastics. “We are committed to leading the way for vehicle lightweighting with innovations in composite and carbon fiber formulations and component design. The CarbonPro box is an example of what can be accomplished when great teams come together to collaborate on materials and design to create something entirely new in the automotive industry.”
The CarbonPro box is the result of a long-term collaboration between General Motors, Teijin and Continental Structural Plastics. The CarbonPro box earned the GM engineering team the company’s prestigious BOSS KETTERING award, GM’s highest award for innovation in April 2019. In May, CSP received the GM Innovation Award, which recognizes supplier innovation. In July 2019, it was named a runner up in the 2019 Altair Enlighten Awards, and it received “Most Innovative Composite Part” at SPE’s ACCE conference in September 2018. It also received the CAMX Unsurpassed Innovation Award, and has been named a finalist in the 2020 Automotive News PACE Awards.
About Continental Structural Plastics
Continental Structural Plastics, a Teijin Group company, has provided leading-edge technologies in lightweight composite solutions for the automotive, heavy truck, HVAC and construction industries for 50 years. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, CSP provides full-service engineering support, and holds multiple patents covering materials development and manufacturing processes. The company has operations on three continents and more than 4,300 employees. For more information, visit cspplastics.com.
About the Teijin Group
Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has over 170 companies and around 20,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY888.6 billion (USD 8.1 billion) and total assets of JPY1020.7 billion (USD 9.3 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019.
Please visit www.teijin.com
Contacts
Kim Zitny
+1 248-535-6944
kim.zitny@cspplastics.com
