A manufacturing company from Warwickshire has been shortlisted for a national award by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Automotive Insulations of The Autins Group (www.autins.co.uk) has been shortlisted for the societys Award for Automotive Innovation. The nomination is for the companys in-house development of their range of lightweight Xlite materials.
Now in its fifth year, the SMMT Award for Automotive Innovation is sponsored by global; engineering group GKN and supported by The Times. It aims to recognise and highlight new British-developed technologies that have the potential to make a positive and long lasting impact on the automotive industry.
Xlite was developed at the Automotive Insulations Rugby site to meet the rapid rise in demand for lightweight materials from the automotive industry. Xlite has been designed to maximise sound absorption as well as minimising component weight (by up to 70% in some applications) and cost. The material is currently used in electric, hybrid and lightweight vehicles, but can be adapted for a range of industrial uses.
Jim Griffin, MD of The Autins Group believes that the ability to produce lightweight components will become increasingly important within the automotive industry.
As suppliers to both the UK and European markets, we have noticed a rising demand from manufacturers for more lightweight components, he comments. With tough environmental targets to meet, issues of emissions, economy and efficiency will only become more critical in vehicle design with weight reduction a central part of the process.
As part of the judging process, members of the Autins Group will travel to London this month (October) to present their innovation to a panel of industry experts. The winner will then be announced at the SMMT Annual Dinner on 25th November. As a shortlisted entrant, The Autins Group will also have the opportunity to present their innovation at the 2014 Automotive Engineering Show at The NEC in Birmingham on 12th November.
The British owned Autins Group (www.autins.co.uk) includes Automotive Insulations, as well as Scandins in Sweden and Rheinland Insulations in Germany who develop, manufacture and test materials and components for the automotive industry. Clients include Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover and 3M.
For more information about the SMMT awards, visit www.smmt.co.uk/aai.
Photo: MD, Jim Griffin.