CONFERENCES
Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition
Final Program as of September 1: See the current list of topics, presenters, and keynote speakers by clicking HERE.
Mini-Abstracts of All Talks Posted: Review mini-abstracts for all regular and keynote presentations by clicking HERE.
Speaker Biographies: New this year, review biographies of our speakers by clicking HERE.
Salute to Sponsors: Support the companies that support the SPE ACCE. You can see who is participating by clicking HERE.
Post-SPE ACCE Plant Tour: Join us for a Post-ACCE Plant Tour to Romeo RIM to see the World's Largest LFI Press in Operation Producing Roofs for a John Deere vehicle that is just launching. Free transportation to the first 25 who sign up. All attendees must sign waiver form. Details (and form) can be downloaded HERE. Bus leaves the Management Education Center at 1:30 p.m. on Thur., Sept. 15 and will return by 4:30 p.m.that afternoon.
Like to do advanced planning? Our 2012 and 2013 SPE ACCE dates are now set: Sept. 11-13, 2012 and Sept. 10-12, 2013.
Since 2001, the SPE Composites & Automotive Divisions have jointly organized an annual technical conference and exhibition on innovative new composites technologies for the automotive and ground transportation industries. This year’s SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) will be held mid-September at the MSU Management Education Center in Troy, Michigan, USA. Details about the current conference can be found below and at ACCE.
The event is designed to educate and update automotive design and production engineers, sales personnel, and management from transportation OEMs and Tier suppliers about the benefits and expanding importance of thermoset and thermoplastic composites in passenger vehicles, light trucks, and other ground transportation applications. The SPE ACCE is the world's leading automotive composites forum, providing excellent networking opportunities and drawing speakers, exhibitors, and attendees from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.Location & Key Contacts
Location: MSU Management Education Center, 811 W. Square Lake Road, Troy, MI 48084 USA
Conference Chair: Creig Bowland, PPG Industries, +1.662.915.5379
e-mail: ACCE-chair@speautomotive.com
Sponsorship Chair: Teri Chouinard, Intuit Group
Ph: +1.810.797.7242 or e-mail: teri@intuitgroup.com
Registration Chair: Dawn Stephens, SPE Automotive Division
Ph:+1.248.244.8993, email: ACCE-registration@speautomotive.com
Technical Program Chairs:
- Shashank Karnik, Rain Bird, +1.248.686.4632
- Bob Egbers, COMUSA, +1.248.912.8154
Key Dates
- Event: September 13-15, 2011
- Abstracts Due: March 26, 2011
- Papers / Presentations Due: May 28, 2011
- Sponsor Ads Due: August 8, 2011
Interested in presenting? Key forms are HERE. Submit abstracts and papers / presentations to ACCEpapers@speautomotive.com.
A variety of sponsorship packages, including tabletop displays, advertising and publicity, tickets, and other promotional items are available. See Sponsorship Opportunities, or contact Sponsorship Chair.
Hotel & Car Rental Discounts for Conference Attendees
We have partnered with The Cadillac Travel Group (Southfield, MI) to offer discounted hotel and car rental fees for conference attendees. To take advantage of the discounts, please contact Cadillac Travel directly at:
- The Cadillac Travel Group
- http://cadillactravel.com/
- 1.800.788.7633
- Ask for Diana Aldini, diana@cadillactravel.com, who will be happy to make your arrangements for you.
Please Note: Hotels are close to the conference center and several offer free shuttle service. All of the hotel rates are good for single/double accommodations unless otherwise indicated. Availability of king-size beds is subject to availability at the time of booking. Each hotel is offering a limited block of rooms for SPE attendees, so we suggest you book early to ensure you can take advantage of the discounts
Embassy Suites - Troy
Address: 850 Tower Drive, Troy, MI 48098 USA
Special Rate: $137.00 USD. Free shuttle service.
The Metropolitan Hotel (Formerly the Troy Hilton)
Address: 5500 Crooks Road, Troy, MI 48098 USA
Special Rate: $84.00 USD. Free shuttle service.
Candlewood Suites Extended Stay Hotel Detroit / Troy
Address: 2550 Troy Center Drive, Troy, MI 48084 USA
Special Rate: $79.99 USD.
Red Roof Inn
Address: 2350 Rochester Court, Troy, MI 48083 USA
Special Rate: King: $42.49 USD; Double: $46.74 USD.
Avis Rent-a-Car
Special Rate: 30% off any Vehicle Size
To book a car, please contact Cadillac Travel, or book with Avis directly HERE, and use discount code: Society of Plastic Engineers, AWD # A833100.
Registration Fees
- $375 USD- SPE Member
- $475 USD - Non-SPE Member (Includes 1 yr of SPE membership - $140 USD value) or Renewing SPE Member (Extend Membership by 1 year & save $18 USD)
- $100 USD – Student
- • $150 USD - New 1-Day Rate (SPE Membership Not Included)
Keynote Speakers & Topics
Speaker, Title | Organization | Tentative Topic | Schedule |
| John Schweitzer, Senior Director-Government Affairs | American Composites Manufacturers Association | NTP's Cancer Assessment for Styrene - Science, Policy and Implications | Tuesday, Sept. 13, 11:00-11:30 a.m. |
| C. David Warren, Program Manager, Transportation Materials & Carbon Fiber | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Lower Cost Carbon Fiber in High Volumes for 21st-Century Industries — The Obstacles to Getting There | Tuesday, Sept. 13, 12:30-1:00 p.m. |
| Antony Dodworth, Managing Director | Dodworth Design | Stiffer is Better: Lessons Learned in Composites Design of Lightweight Automotive Structures | Tuesday, Sept. 13, 3:30-4:30 p.m. |
| Mr. Patrice Sinthon, Director-Marketing & Sales | JEC Group | Main Trends & Dynamics of the Worldwide Composites Industry | Wednesday, Sept. 14, 1:00-1:30 p.m. |
| Chuck Kazmierski, Program Manager | Lucintel | Growth Opportunities in Global Composites Market 2011- 2016 | Wednesday, Sept. 14, 1:30-2:00 p.m. |
| Nathan Armstrong, President & Director | Motive Industries Inc. | Return of the Small Automaker | Wednesday, Sept. 14, 3:30-4:00 p.m. |
| Ashish Diwanji, Vice-President of Innovations | Owens Corning | Winning with Composites in a World Seeking Sustainable Solutions | Wednesday, Sept. 14, 4:00-4:30 p.m. |
| David Lashmore, Vice President R&D | Nanocomp Technologies, Inc. | Carbon Nanotube Composites Fabricated from Multiwall Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) Mat | Thursday, Sept. 15, 10:30-11:00 a.m. |
| Mark Voss, Lead Composites Engineer | General Motors Co. | GM's Lightweighting Strategy for Composites | Thursday, Sept. 15, 11:00-11:30 a.m. |
Panel Discussions
Panel 1: The Role of Composites in Battery Cases & Trays for Fleet Electrification (Tues., Sept. 13, 4:30-6:00 p.m.)
Panel Member, Title
Organization
Role
Drew Winter, Editor-in-Chief Ward's AutoWorld Magazine Moderator Jim Dutchik, Business Development Manager
Asahi Kasei North America Panelist Frank Henning, Deputy Director Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology Panelist Kestutis Sonta, Senior Materials Engineer General Motors Co. Panelist Joe Bodary, Manager-Engineering & Prototype Continental Structural Plastics Panelist
Panel Member, Title
Organization
Role
Panel 2: Measuring the Sustainability Proposition of Composites (Weds., Sept. 14, 4:30-6:00 p.m.)
Panel Member, Title | Organization | Role |
| Jeff Sloan, Editor-in-Chief | CompositesWorld.com | Moderator |
| Shristy Bashyal, Graduate Student | University of Missouri | Panelist |
| Ashish Diwanji, Vice-President of Innovation | Owens Corning | Panelist |
| Antony Dodworth, Managing Director | Dodworth Design | Panelist |
| Mark Voss, Lead Composites Engineer | General Motors Co. | Panelist |
| C. David Warren, Program Manager, Transportation Materials & Carbon Fiber | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Panelist |
| Jaap van der Woude, Director Science & Technology Europe, Environmental | PPG Industries | Panelist |
2011 Technical Sessions
2011 SPE ACCE Technical Program Chairs are Shashank Karnik, Rain Bird, and Bob Egbers, Chisso-COMUSA. Sessions currently planned for the conference include:
- Advances in Reinforcement Technologies (Jay Tudor, Dow Chemical & Rob Seats, Ashland, Inc.)
- Advances in Thermoplastic Composites (Bob Egbers, Chisso-COMUSA & Dr. Jay Raisoni, Adell Plastics),
- Advances in Thermoset Composites (Dr. Michael Connolly, Huntsman Polyurethanes, Cedric Ball, Bulk Molding Compounds, Inc., & Dr. Mike Siwajek, Continental Structural Plastics)
- Bio- & Natural-Fiber Composites (Dr. Dan Houston, Ford Motor Co.)
- Finalizing the Design & Development of a Structural Composite Underbody (Dale Brosius, Quickstep Technologies, Dr. Uday Vaidya, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Cedric Ball, Bulk Molding Compounds Inc., & Dr. Michael Connolly, Huntsman Polyurethanes)
- Enabling Technologies (Dr. Dev Barpanda, Dow Chemical, Ajay Kharod, CODA Automotive, Dr. Frank Henning, Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology & Dr. Klaus Gleich, Johns Manville),
- Nanocomposites (Dr. Suresh Shah, Delphi Corp.),
- Virtual Prototyping & Testing of Composites (Dr. Jackie Rehkopf, Plasan Carbon Composites, Dr. Antoine Rios, The Madison Group, & Dr. Pete Foss, General Motors Co.)
Forms & Links
- Call for Papers Flier
- Author’s Guide Word Template
- Copyright Transfer Form
- Registration Form
- Sponsorship Opportunities
Annual Technical Conference
As part of SPE International’s Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC), the SPE Composites Division organizes a technical session on composites each year.
Composites Show
Through our Inter- & Intra-Society chair, the SPE Composites Division also annually organizes a composites session at the American Composites Manufacturers Association’s (ACMA’s) Composites show.