Nominations Invited for the Automotive Industry's Only Award Dedicated to Innovation in Vehicle Lightweighting

TROY, Mich., Nov. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2017 Enlighten Award, presented jointly by Altair and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), is now open for nominations. The award recognizes achievements in weight reduction across the automotive industry and is set to be presented July 31, 2017 at the 52^nd annual CAR Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) held in Traverse City, Michigan.

Acknowledgements of the Enlighten Award will be made in two categories: full vehicle and module. The full vehicle award is given for exceptional achievement in the lightweighting of an entire vehicle, with previous winners including General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Jaguar Land Rover. The module award is given for innovation in the lightweighting of a subsystem or component, or for the development of technology that enables innovation, such as a lightweight material or a new joining technology. This category is ideal for suppliers and has previously been awarded to BASF and ContiTech.

"The Enlighten Award has been enormously successful since its conception four years ago," said Richard Yen, Vice President, Global Automotive at Altair. "The pool of nominees has always been impressive, and in 2017 we expect the technology and designs to be as innovative as ever. We are really looking forward to learning more about what the automotive industry has been working on this year."

Interested manufacturers and suppliers can submit a nomination, learn about the award criteria or access additional information about the process at www.altairenlighten.com/award. Designs submitted must be implemented on a production vehicle produced between August 2014 and August 2017 to allow for sharing with the public, while respecting business and technical confidentiality of all applications. The nominations deadline for the Enlighten Award is May 26, 2017, with the final judging taking place in June 2017.

"Leaders in the automotive industry are making exciting advancements in new approaches to automotive engineering and design contributing to further reductions in weight, fuel consumption, and emissions for light-duty vehicles, and over the last four years we've received many nominations demonstrating these innovations," said Dr. Jay Baron, President & CEO at Center for Automotive Research. "We look forward to accepting this year's terrific nominations demonstrating the determination of automakers and suppliers alike to meet the challenges of continued mass reduction."

Last year's full vehicle category winner, Cadillac, were enthusiastic winners of the award, taking the title for the development of its flagship CT6. The mixed material vehicle made use of multi-disciplinary optimization techniques to achieve weight savings of approximately 218 pounds (99 kg) compared to a vehicle using predominantly high-strength steels.

The Enlighten Award is key for the automotive industry as it fosters innovation and encourages OEMs and suppliers to continually strive for improvement. Recipients of the award enjoy the benefits of worldwide press and recognition, feature roles in dedicated advertising, recognition from industry peers, interview and blog opportunities, and tangible demonstration of industry achievements to attract new talent, among others.

About Altair ProductDesign

Altair ProductDesign is a global, multi-disciplinary product development consultancy of more than 700 designers, engineers, scientists, and creative thinkers. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Altair Engineering Inc., this organization is best known for its market leadership in combining its engineering expertise with computer aided engineering (CAE) technology to deliver innovation and automate processes. Altair ProductDesign firmly advocates a user-centered, team-based design approach, and utilizes proprietary simulation and optimization technologies (such as Altair HyperWorks) to help clients bring innovative, profitable products to market on a tighter, more efficient time-scale.

About Altair

Founded in 1985, Altair is focused on the development and 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 with more than 45 offices throughout 20 countries, and serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

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SOURCE Altair

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