SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition Announces Transition to a Virtual Event

Contact: Teri Chouinard, SPE ACCE Comm. Chair, 248-701-8003; teri@intuitgroup.com.

Troy (Detroit), MI - The organizing committee for the SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) today announced the transition from an in-person event to a virtual platform for its 20th anniversary event. The virtual ACCE will be held Sept. 9 – 11, 2020 (the dates it was originally planned for) and will include keynotes, panel discussions, technical sessions, sponsorship and exhibit options, and online networking opportunities. Continuing the ACCE tradition of supporting students pursuing careers in the automotive composites industry, the annual ACCE and Dr. Jackie Rehkopf scholarships and Student Poster Competition awards will be announced at the event.

“We were looking forward to celebrating 20 years of advancing transportation with innovative composites technologies in person,” said Dr. Alper Kiziltas, lead research scientist, Ford Motor Company and 2020 SPE ACCE Co-Chair. “The ACCE is more than a technical conference, it is also an annual reunion with industry friends and where new connections are made,” continued Kiziltas.

“We cannot have an in-person ACCE, and provide the same personal collaborative experience our attendees expect, with social distancing and other CDC recommendations due to COVID-19” added Kiziltas.  “The virtual format enables us to continue the ACCE mission of educating the market on the latest advancements in composites technologies, providing our sponsors with targeted corporate exposure, and supporting our students who are the future of the industry,” said Kiziltas.  “I am confident we will have a large automotive OEM and supplier base registering for the Virtual ACCE,” said Dr. Xiaosong Huang, lab group manager of Polymer Composite Systems in GM Research & Development, General Motors Company and ACCE Co-Chair.  “Free passes for automotive OEMs to attend the ACCE are appreciated as we look forward to learning about composites technologies to add value to our vehicles,” added Huang. For more info go to: speautomotive.com/acce-conference.

The ACCE typically draws over 800 speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees and provides an environment dedicated solely to discussion, education and networking about advances in transportation composites.  Its global appeal is evident in the diversity of exhibitors, speakers, and attendees who come to the conference from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia/Pacific as well as North America.  About 20% of the attendees (160 approx.) work for automotive and light truck, agriculture, tuck & bus or aviation OEMs.  Approximately 25% (200 approx.) of the attendees work for tiers including molders and material suppliers.  The balance of attendees work for composite materials processing equipment, additives, or reinforcement suppliers; trade associations, consultancies, university and government labs; media; and investment banks.  The show has been jointly produced by the SPE Automotive and Composites Divisions since 2001.

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SPE’s Automotive Division is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments in all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments in the global transportation industry. SPE’s Composites Division does the same with a focus on polymer-based composites in multiple industries.  Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development. The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. For more information see www.speautomotive.com and www.specomposites.org. 

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