Altair Enlighten Award Nominations are in for 2016

TROY, Mich., June 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Now in its fourth year, the Altair Enlighten Award has received 21 global nominations for the 2016 award, with seven OEM full vehicle and fourteen supplier module submissions in all. The award which recognizes and celebrates achievements in vehicle lightweighting will be presented in collaboration with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) at the 2016 CAR Management Briefing Seminars taking place in Traverse City, Mich. from August 1st-4th.

This year's award program added new categories to help highlight the innovative lightweighting strategies being implemented for both full vehicles and modules such as components, systems and enabling technologies to acknowledge achievements in vehicle lightweighting. Comprised of worldwide automotive experts, the awards judging committee – chaired by Dr. Jay Baron, President and CEO of CAR and Director of CAR's Coalition for Automotive Lightweighting Material (CALM) – will assess each nomination and select the overall winner.

"It is impressive to see such significant effort by the supplier community with terrific enabling technologies making a difference in advanced lightweighting," said Jay Baron, "and the competition for full vehicle nominations demonstrates just how far vehicle manufacturers have succeeded in applying new solutions throughout the vehicle to reduce weight while maintaining safety and performance."   

The 2016 Enlighten Award nominees for full vehicle are:

BMW: 2016 7 SeriesCSR Bus: 2016 TEG 6129 BEVFord Motor Company: 2017 Ford F-350 Super DutyGeneral Motors: 2016 Cadillac CT6General Motors: 2017 Cadillac XT5ISUZU: 2015 SML BusVolvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle Ltd: Heavy Duty Truck

The 2016 Enlighten Award nominees for modules are:

Alcoa: MicromillAmerican Axle: Power Take Off Unit HousingContiTech: Rear Suspension Polymide Cross Member for Mercedes S ClassDicastal: Honda Civic Wheel Structure OptimizationFaurecia: DecoDisplay – Smart HMI SurfaceFTE: EP20 Low Pressure Oil Pump AssemblyMagna Cosma International: Jaguar Land Rover Rear RailNovelis: Aluminum Sheet for Ford F-SeriesPittsburgh Glass Works: Lightweight GlazingPranav Vikas: AC System ComponentsSika Automotive: Power Crash Resistance Technology Tata Technologies: Lightweight Tipper BodyVolvo-Eicher Commercial Vehicle Ltd: Commercial ChassisWanfeng Meridian: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Magnesium Inner Liftgate

"The increase in submissions coming from the OEMs for full-vehicle lightweighting will make for an exciting competition this year. I expect as we draw closer to the 2025 CAFÉ standards we will continue to see more dramatic weight reduction tactics implemented by OEMs," said Richard Yen, Senior Vice President of Automotive at Altair. It's also been exciting seeing the huge variety of nominations coming from suppliers who are tackling the challenge of vehicle lightweighting in such varied ways. I think 2016 will be the most competitive year in the award's history."

The Altair Enlighten Award is intended to honor the greatest achievements in weight savings each year; to inspire interest from industry, engineering, policymakers, educators, students and the public; to create further competition for new ideas in the industry; and to provide an incentive to share technological advances.

The award aligns with the goals of CAR's CALM initiative to support the cost-effective integration of mixed materials to achieve significant reductions in vehicle mass through the collaborative efforts of the material sectors and auto manufacturers.

About AltairAltair is focused on the development and broad application of simulation technology to synthesize and optimize designs, processes and decisions for improved business performance. Privately held with more than 2,600 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA and operates more than 45 offices throughout 22 countries. Today, Altair serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

Media Contacts

Altair CorporateBiba A. Bedi+1.757.224.0548 x 406[email protected]

Altair Europe, the Middle East and AfricaEvelyn Gebhardt+49 6421 9684351[email protected]

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SOURCE Altair