The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) announced the five keynote speakers for the 16th annual TPO Automotive Engineered Polyolefins Conference.

The five speakers, from WardsAuto, ExxonMobil Chemical Co, Dow Chemical Co, LyondellBasell, and General Motors Co. respectively, will touch on major trends in the automotive plastics market, including access to new feedstocks, approaching vehicle-efficiency mandates, and key pressures driving innovation.

On October 6, the conference kicks off in the morning with a keynote on "Fuel Economy: Getting to 2025 as Efficiently as Possible" by John Sousanis, Director - Information Content & Presentation, WardsAuto.com and author of the WardsAuto State of the Industry Fuel Economy Report.

"The 'final rule' announced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2017 through 2025 model light vehicles is the key driver behind accelerated lightweighting efforts throughout the automotive industry, according to Mr. Sousanis.

"If met via fuel economy, the GHG emissions standards would require a projected fleet-wide average fuel economy rating of 54.5 miles per gallon (4.32 liters per 100 kilometers). However, the new standards face a midterm review beginning in 2017, with a 'final-final' ruling due in 2018. In my talk, I'll discuss how automakers are progressing toward these 2025 standards, what challenges remain, and what the outcome of the midterm review hearings might be," he says.

A second keynote will immediately follow by Kurt Aerts, Vice President, Global Supply Chain at ExxonMobil Chemical Co. on the topic of "The Changing Role of North America in Global Chemical Production Due to Shale Gas".

On Day 2 of the conference, Bart Bowser, Global Product and Asset Director, Dow Elastomers, Electrical & Telecommunications, at The Dow Chemical Co. will lead off the morning with a talk entitled "North America Plastics Industry Revival Fueled by Shale Gas".

A second keynote on Day 2 will immediately follow by Sergey Vasnetsov, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Transactions, Global Polypropylene Compounds, LyondellBasell, whose topic is "Materials Innovation - What it Takes to Meet the Current & Future Demands of the Global Automotive Market".

The third day of the conference will again begin with a keynote talk from Doug Pickett, Engineering Group Manager - Product Development at General Motors Co, who will discuss "Future Trends in Vehicle Efficiency - An Opportunity or Challenge to Future Growth of TPOs in Vehicle Interiors".

Organized by the Detroit Section of SPE, this year's technical conference and exhibition returns to Detroit from October 5-8, 2014.

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) announced the five keynote speakers for the 16th annual TPO Automotive Engineered Polyolefins Conference.

The five speakers, from WardsAuto, ExxonMobil Chemical Co, Dow Chemical Co, LyondellBasell, and General Motors Co. respectively, will touch on major trends in the automotive plastics market, including access to new feedstocks, approaching vehicle-efficiency mandates, and key pressures driving innovation.

On October 6, the conference kicks off in the morning with a keynote on "Fuel Economy: Getting to 2025 as Efficiently as Possible" by John Sousanis, Director - Information Content & Presentation, WardsAuto.com and author of the WardsAuto State of the Industry Fuel Economy Report.

"The 'final rule' announced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2017 through 2025 model light vehicles is the key driver behind accelerated lightweighting efforts throughout the automotive industry, according to Mr. Sousanis.

"If met via fuel economy, the GHG emissions standards would require a projected fleet-wide average fuel economy rating of 54.5 miles per gallon (4.32 liters per 100 kilometers). However, the new standards face a midterm review beginning in 2017, with a 'final-final' ruling due in 2018. In my talk, I'll discuss how automakers are progressing toward these 2025 standards, what challenges remain, and what the outcome of the midterm review hearings might be," he says.

A second keynote will immediately follow by Kurt Aerts, Vice President, Global Supply Chain at ExxonMobil Chemical Co. on the topic of "The Changing Role of North America in Global Chemical Production Due to Shale Gas".

On Day 2 of the conference, Bart Bowser, Global Product and Asset Director, Dow Elastomers, Electrical & Telecommunications, at The Dow Chemical Co. will lead off the morning with a talk entitled "North America Plastics Industry Revival Fueled by Shale Gas".

A second keynote on Day 2 will immediately follow by Sergey Vasnetsov, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Transactions, Global Polypropylene Compounds, LyondellBasell, whose topic is "Materials Innovation - What it Takes to Meet the Current & Future Demands of the Global Automotive Market".

The third day of the conference will again begin with a keynote talk from Doug Pickett, Engineering Group Manager - Product Development at General Motors Co, who will discuss "Future Trends in Vehicle Efficiency - An Opportunity or Challenge to Future Growth of TPOs in Vehicle Interiors".

Organized by the Detroit Section of SPE, this year's technical conference and exhibition returns to Detroit from October 5-8, 2014.