Mannheim (Germany), July 19, 2006 – Röchling Automotive received the “Grand Innovation Award” from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Central Europe at this year’s award ceremony for excellence in the development of plastic components.
The members of the jury awarded the prize, the highest distinction awarded by the Society of Plastics Engineers Central Europe, in recognition of the development of a cooling-water pipe for a BMW series-production vehicle. Their decision was based on the thinness of the pipe walls and their even distribution over the cooling-water pipe. The bullet shot injection molding technology developed and put into series production by Röchling Automotive enables weight reductions of around 50% and higher dimensional stability compared with gas injection molding technology.
The President of SPE Central Europe, Dr.-Ing. Klaus-Dieter Johnke, and Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Fernengel, who is responsible for coordinating the technical departments, handed the prize and the award certificate to Röchling Automotive board member Dr. Peter Barth and project leader Dr.-Ing. Marlene Rinner on behalf of the whole development team from the Engine Compartment Competence Center in Leifers, led by Egon Resch.
The Röchling Group operates globally and stands for proficiency in plastics, with around 6,000 employees working at 51 locations in 16 countries. In 2005 the Group had sales revenues of EUR 1.15 billion. The Automotive Plastics division brings together the companies that are active as suppliers for the automotive market. Röchling Automotive manufactures sophisticated products from polymer materials and natural fiber plastic composites for the engine compartment, underbody and interior. In 2005 Röchling Automotive had sales revenues of EUR 536 million.
