Japan takes passing lane in automotive

2006 has been a year of massive change for the automotive industry, from radical restructuring by the Big Three and their major suppliers, to the continued emergence of the "new domestics" in the American South, to the rising influx of parts, and soon, cars from China to the western world.

In a letter issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago entitled "The U.S. auto supplier industry in transition," the bank stated that since 1980 the Big Three''s (DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors) U.S. market share has declined from 75% to 54%. In that same time, Japan''s Toyota, Honda, and Nissan (the J-3 in the automotive industry) have accounted for 14 of the 18 new U.S. assembly plants built in North America.

For some time, the automotive industry has been divided between assemblers, or OEMs, and makers of parts, or suppliers, but the report found that the latter are taking on an ever-increasing share of automobile production and employment. Suppliers employ three and a half times more workers than OEMs and add 60% of the value to a finished vehicle, with many plastics processors among their ranks.

In 1990 there were 239,000 assembly-plant and 653,000 supplier employees who produced 9.5 million vehicles in the U.S. By 2000, there were 237,000 assembly-plant and 840,00 supplier employees, making 12.3 million vehicles. Much of that production and assembly has shifted from north to south along a strip of states formed by Interstates 65 and 75 that drops from the Great Lakes region into the South and Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. That shift has reflected a desire on the part of transplant domestics to avoid entrenched organized labor in the north.

In fact, the report found that of the foreign-owned supplier plants, only 14% were unionized, compared with 34% of the domestics. In terms of final assembly plants, all the Big Three plants are unionized, while only three of the 18 foreign-owned operations are.

An even bigger shift for plastics processors supplying the industry could be under way, with the nominal value of net imports of parts more than quadrupling from $7 billion in 1997 to $30 billion in 2004. In 2004, the U.S. imported $77 billion in motor vehicle parts, representing 27% of the total market. In this same time period, employment by parts suppliers has dropped from 775,000 to 678,000.

Integrated interiors out

Suppliers linked to the traditional Big Three could continue to see cuts according to John Henke, president of Planning Perspectives Inc. (PPI), a Michigan-based consultancy that specializes in OEM/supplier relations. Henke points to GM''s announcement earlier this year that it planned to bring the assembly of some interior components back in house, versus sourcing entire cockpit subassemblies from companies like Delphi, Lear, and Collins & Aikman (C&A), which spent much of the last five years adding capabilities to supply complete interiors.

"[GM] thinks they can get a better deal by [moving away from interior trim subassemblies]," Henke says. "That means it''s going to be tougher to go in with an integrated bid for these systems. GM''s concern is profits that are being made on the Tier Two''s and so on, are being made by [Tier One''s], and if they integrate and cut out the middle man, then these Tier Twos will be Tier Ones to them and they can negotiate better prices."

With all commodity prices on the rise, GM has increasingly hedged for its suppliers in markets like steel, according to Henke, making large forward buys and leveraging its economies of scales in purchasing across all its suppliers. "[GM] has said when it comes to resin buys, it''s far more complex," Henke says. "These resins are just far more difficult to do any forward buys for."

In the wake of GM''s announcement, and Ford''s earlier this year that it would reduce its supplier base to less than 1250 to lower purchasing costs, integrated interior suppliers C&A and Delphi, a former division of GM, declared bankruptcy, while Lear, which also provides complete interiors, hurried to secure bank financing. Delphi and Lear have since announced plans to jettison interior trim, with Lear already selling off its European interior trim to financier Wilbur Ross and his International Automotive Components (IAC) group, while Delphi announced that it would sell or wind down any North American plants associated with trim, shuttering 21 out of its 29 North American facilities.

Ross and IAC continue to work with Lear to potentially form partnerships to manage its North American trim business, and IAC is also considering the North American assets of C&A, and potentially, Delphi, forming what Ross hopes will be the "global automotive industry''s largest plastics company."

Lear is anxious for a solution to what it views as a troubled business, according to its director or corporate communications, Andrea Puchalsky. "Basically [interior trim] is a business segment that''s just getting commodity prices, and it''s a segment too where your material costs have risen dramatically."

Plastics continue to account for a growing proportion of a vehicle''s weight in spite of their rising costs. According to the American Plastics Council, the average amount of plastic per vehicle has risen from 60 lb in 1970, to more than 360 lb in 1999, with the number forecast to have eclipsed 400 lb by 2004. That number could increase as tougher gas-mileage standards are called for, forcing lightweighting and more resin use, with American Metal Market LLC predicting that 5.63 billion lb of plastic will be found in North American autos by 2011.

Drive to low-cost locales accelerates

In addition to exiting trim, Lear, Delphi, Visteon, and others have announced plans for greater investment in lower-cost regions, including Mexico, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Lear reported that its low-cost buy has risen from 17% in 2002 to 24% in 2005, and it hopes to increase it to 27% in 2006. In 2005, it closed seven plants, and of those, it moved three to Romania, Turkey, and Mexico. Over the next two years, it hopes to close 10 more, shuttering four permanently, and shifting six to Eastern Europe and Mexico.

Visteon only has one plant larger than 1 million ft2 in North America after it reached a restructuring deal last year with former parent, Ford, compared to 14 previously. In addition, Visteon officials said they''re planning to continue a shift to "competitive-cost" locations. In 2005, 36% of the company''s employees were in what Visteon calls "high-cost" locales, with 64% in "competitive-cost" areas, but by 2008, Visteon plans for 25% to be in higher cost areas, with 75% in low-cost regions.

Although this transition will continue, with an increasing proportion of parts sourced overseas, the automotive components industry in China, for one, is still maturing and for now is fragmented. According to a report from KPMG, the top-10 component manufacturers in China make up only 20% of the market''s revenue, with roughly 1700 companies registered as automotive parts suppliers with the Chinese government. Of those, 450 are foreign owned, and some estimate that there are another 3000-plus smaller firms supplying automotive that go unaccounted for. By 2007, KPMG predicts that the Chinese market for auto parts and aftermarket value will be $12.1 billion, up from $1.5 billion a decade earlier.

In terms of automotive part exports, however, as of 2004, China ($2.4 billion) still lagged behind Japan ($20.2 billion), South Korea ($3.7 billion), and Taiwan ($3.4 billion) in terms of leading Asian exporters. PPI''s Henke feels work remains for Chinese part suppliers to make the leap. "Quality isn''t there yet," Henke says. "Some day it may be, but now it isn''t."

Parts today, cars tomorrow

Malcolm Bricklin, the automotive entrepreneur who has brought Subaru, Yugo, and other foreign-made cars to the U.S., has reached an agreement with Chinese automaker Chery Automotive to bring its vehicles to the U.S. in 2007. Sold through a dealer network of about 250, with an initial sales target of 250,000, Visionary Vehicles, the importer Bricklin has established, will provide five models that are priced 30% below category competition.

PPI''s Henke points towards Korea''s long learning curve in the U.S. with Hyundai as one reason Chery and Bricklin aren''t likely to have an immediate impact. "I think it''s reasonable to expect [Chinese-made cars] are going to be here," Henke says, "but they''ve got a minimum of five years before they''re viable."

Tony Deligio [email protected]

Sweet home Alabama

Just how much growth has the automotive industry seen in the South? The Alabama Automotive Manufacturer''s Assn. (AAMA) offers a glimpse into one state with its 2005 survey. With OEMs like Honda, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz established, the state boasts an annual vehicle capacity of 760,000.

Supplier growth to support these assembly facilities has been strong, with 29 new automotive plants opened in 2004 and 2005, adding 1343 direct jobs and including plastics-related suppliers like Concours Mold, Collins & Aikman, Mitchell Plastics USA, Maxforma Plastics, and Hyundai Polytech America. In the same time period, seven plants closed, affecting 430 jobs. In total, the AAMA estimates there are 263 automotive plants in the state now employing 44,834.

U.S. moldmakers report negligible impact from automotive doldrums

Moldmakers aren''t seeing a huge impact to their businesses from the bankruptcy filings of Tier Ones such as Delphi, Dana, C&A, and others. In the American Mold Builders Assn. (AMBA) Spring 2006 Business Forecast Survey, 69.6% (103) of the 148 respondents said they serve the automotive industry. Of those, the percentage of total business represented by automotive averaged 47% (median 25%).

Fully 99 of the 148 surveyed said automotive represented 25% or more of their total business, and of that number, only 11.1% said that these bankruptcy filings had significant negative impact on their business; 32.3% said it had a somewhat negative impact; and 44.4% responded that it had no negative impact on their business.

Clare Goldsberry

Mirror, mirror, providing my rear view...

...what plastics will be used in the future to make you? Or the rest of a vehicle''s parts, for that matter? Likely not the same materials used in this year''s cars. Plastics supplier experts highlight a few technologies that may just change how the automotive parts'' processing game is played.

Though legal requirements (think safety) and the complicated and costly production process limit how rapidly new materials can enter use in commercial automotive parts, most plastics suppliers still view the industry as a forerunner for some of their most innovative work. A number of the following developments may see first use in automotive, but often they eventually gain even wider use in other applications. Some are the next step in progressive developments, but a few have to be considered as potential game changers for their innovative potential.

One of the latter is in the advanced stages of development at Bayer MaterialScience (Leverkusen, Germany). Working with as-yet unidentified processor(s), moldmakers and injection molding machine manufacturer, the supplier is developing a system for injection molding of thermoplastics on a turntable mold, swivel platen or sliding table which, upon turning, swiveling or sliding, has these moldings flooded with a two-component polyurethane system to realize finished parts with a functional PUR coating, decorative finish, or skin.

Injection molding machine manufacturer Krauss-Maffei (Munich) has developed its SkinForm system, combining injection molding and reaction injection molding (RIM) in a single work cell with a robot transferring parts from injection press to RIM unit. The first SkinForm was without doubt one of the highlights of the K''2004 trade show, and work continues, but to now none of the systems is in commercial use. Bayer''s work, in contrast, would combine both thermoplastic injection molding and RIM in a single tool on a single machine. The RIM coating cools within the cycle time of the thermoplastic injection, so that fully finished, PUR-coated parts emerge upon mold opening. The injection molding process and the curing of the two-component polyurethane system take place simultaneously. This ensures cycle times of the sort typically found in the normal injection molding of thermoplastics, says Rainer Protte, a specialist in Bayer''s polycarbonate business unit. Bayer supplies both PC and PUR.

The supplier sees "enormous potential" for the technology in processing of parts for the automotive and electrical/ electronics industry. The PUR skin can be up to 1-mm thick to provide a surface with good adhesion and appearance and pleasant tactile properties.

Bayer''s process is a closed mold one and requires no spraying of the mold''s surface. An open mold PUR overcoating process has been developed before, but that latter one suffers from longer cycle times, as the cavity surface of the injection mold needed to be spray coated before the cavity could be filed. Bayer even is considering combining the process with film insert molding (FIM) for forming parts with a decorative surface and deep gloss finish.

At plastics supplier Lanxess (also Leverkusen; Lanxess was spun off from Bayer in 2004), Ralf Zimnol, head of application development-automotive for semi-crystalline materials, says the firm has a number of developments in the works that could be game-changers for injection molding.

Two of the developments are coming soon to commercial vehicles, he says. One of these will be replacing metal oil transfer piping with polyamide, and replacing metal engine block oil pans with thermoplastics.

All-plastic front ends are in the fast lane

Another is a further development of Lanxess'' hybrid plastic/metal molding process, as used already in front end parts. Last year the supplier said it was working with an aluminum supplier to determine if aluminum could replace steel in hybrid parts. Now the supplier is getting away from metal entirely, incorporating instead a sheet of glass and polyamide fiber that can be thermoformed and thus formed for lower cost than metal inserts, making it more suitable especially for lower volume parts production. Zimnol adds that tests show this new all-plastic construction can absorb equivalent energy as the standard plastics/metal hybrid one, and has higher surface stiffness.

Lanxess developed the all-plastic front end with Bond Laminates GmbH (Brilon, Germany), which supplies its Tepex composite sheet to replace the metal. The sheet incorporates glass, Kevlar or carbon fibers embedded in a thermoplastic (oft polyamide) matrix.

Forming these all-plastic hybrids starts with thermoforming of the Tepex sheet, after which it is shipped to the molder who heats it again to just below its melting point and inserts it into a mold for overmolding. Preheating the sheet to near melting helps ensure a good adhesion to the injected plastic. According to Lanxess, ongoing work is underway to make the thermoforming intermediary step superfluous by forming and heating the sheet directly in the injection mold.

At the `Plastics in Automotive Engineering'' conference in Mannheim, Germany, in March, Lanxess also showed an injection molded assembly node, with this assembly completed in the mold, as an alternative to spot welding. One advantage is that polyamide assemblies could be used in the body-in-white portion of automotive assembly without need for the intermediate spot welding step.

Looking further ahead, Zimnol predicts he has a winner with an altered grade of the supplier''s Therban hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) rubber that, for what the firm believes is the first time, can be overmolded directly onto a thermoplastic (a variant of the firm''s Durethan polyamide) in a single mold. "This is really two steps into the future," says Zimnol, but it is a development he thinks could prove a significant cost advantage in parts such as oil pans, valve covers and other parts requiring a seal and expected to last a car''s lifetime. To now, notes Zimnol, these parts either use aluminum with a rubber seal, with multiple assembly steps required, or if a thermoplastic is used then the two parts must be molded in separate machines and the seal is then mounted, usually by hand, onto the plastic part.

Another innovative front-end development, the LESA (Low Energy Surface Adhesive) plastic/metal hybrid technology from Dow Automotive (Auburn Hills, MI), first saw use in the VW Polo A4 but, according to Uwe Koch-Reuss, project manager, is soon to enter street use in two applications in the North American market and a different one in Europe (not at VW). LESA includes a closed-box design on a molding, with the box ''closed'' by a metal insert. Long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (LGF-PP) is used, with no pre-treating (flaming or priming) of the PP required; metal inserts are applied with adhesives marketed by Dow. Dow also supplies the LGF-PP used. (More on LESA: May 2005 MPW)

In related front end news, French engineering thermoplastics supplier Rhodia (Lyon) also says it is close to developing an all-plastic front end, using its TechnylStar high flow polyamide 6 resin as a matrix for long glass fibers.

In the Kerpen, Germany office of compounder A. Schulman, Project Manager Thilo Stier says the firm''s top seller for automotive applications currently is a compound containing polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with 10% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The material sees current use in windshield wiper brackets on some VW vehicles.

The PET recyclate processes like virgin material, he says, but the inclusion of PBT improves its mechanical properties. PET brings a "superior surface, better flow, and lower costs," he notes. The compound also can be processed using the water injection and gas injection techniques.

Dream a little dream-of exterior parts

Mark Kingsley, GM global automotive marketing at supplier GE Plastics, sees GEP''s greatest opportunity lies in supplying material for "exterior styling." "Look at the OEMs that are in trouble," he says, noting these firms have been broadly criticized for making boring cars. GEP wants to supply materials for exterior applications that "let designers realize their dreams."

GEP is having success: "We''ve the most body panel programs running now than ever in our history, and on six continents," notes Kingsley. He adds the supplier is spending an increasing amount of its R&D budget on development of composite materials, with work still ongoing on its High Performance Plastic Composites (HPPC), first discussed openly in 2005 (see May 2005 MPW). HPPC will make use of current GE materials but improve them using unidentified nano-fillers. HPCC materials are thermoformable and suitable for use in horizontal body panels, and are said to offer a CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) between that of aluminum and steel. Kingsley says, "We''re getting close to two-minute cycle times for HPPC."

GEP also is developing materials with an eye on developing markets, says Kingsley. "In India, for instance, the cost of ownership (of a car) is a very big issue," even more so than in Europe or North America. The supplier''s generation E (Emerging) program develops materials targeted towards automotive manufacture in India, Brazil, and China; the program also is developing local infrastructure and talent in these countries. "We think there will continue to be lots of (materials) innovation in high-value cars, and in very low-cost cars," he says.

GEP and a number of other suppliers and processors are working on development of passenger car front ends able to pass both the FMVSS energy absorption criteria as well as pedestrian impact energy absorption laws (see related news in the technical trends-thermoforming article in this issue). Said Kingsley, "This year we''ll launch an integrated plastic energy absorber, positioned behind the rail (of a fender), which has HIC (head impact criteria) of less than 1000," meeting New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) criteria.

Officials from TPE supplier Santoprene, speaking at April''s Chinaplas trade show, spoke of two new grades, one specifically developed for automotive applications. The supplier''s Chinese customer base is mostly automotive parts processors and systems suppliers, said Ostin Tan, Greater China sales manager, based in the firm''s Shanghai offices. Tan said the firm for years has realized double-digit demand growth in China. "The whole industry here is getting much more sophisticated," he said, in comments echoed by almost every material and machine supplier at that show. "And increasingly, design is also being done here."

Hideki Tominaga, Asia Pacific automotive marketing manager for Santoprene, says new grade B230 will prove of special interest to designers of automotive doors. The material is marketed as a direct challenge to EPDM rubber for glass run channels in window systems. Because B230 bonds to both EPDM and TPEs, it offers designers increased options, he said, and it colors easily for accurate color matching.

But the benefit that likely will make it a winner in the market is its cost-cutting ability. When EPDM is used for glass run channels, employees in door manufacturing lines typically have to dip the stiff rubber channels in silicone to force them into the channels. Due to B 230''s low coefficient of friction, "There''s no need for this additional step," said Tominaga. In addition, the TPE channels are 20%-30% lighter than rubber ones, and molding cycle times are four to five times faster, he said. Couple those attributes with TPE''s recyclability, and the supplier believes its case for EPDM substitution is airtight.

With more than 100 kg of plastics/vehicle, and more than 50 million vehicles made per year, the automotive market naturally draws close attention from plastics suppliers. But material development will help the plastics processing industry only if the entire supply chain-designer, materials supplier, parts and systems processor and OEM-work more closely together, as John Feldman, a member of the management board at supplier BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), noted in a recent address to automotive systems suppliers. "We think we all work together, but we aren''t even close to the limits of our synergies," he emphasized. BASF put its development expertise to work with GM''s Opel division in Europe to develop a lower bumper stiffener (LBS) molded of the supplier''s Ultramid B3WG6 CR glass fiber reinforced PA 6, which Opel says helps diminish the risk of serious knee injury in the event of a collision with a pedestrian.

The ca. 1-kg, 1m-long LBS is installed behind the front bumper. BASF supplied more than plastic; it''s computer simulation experts, among them Andreas Wüst, CAE senior engineer, worked with the supplier''s newly developed numerical material modelling program to give Opel a description of the part''s crash behavior that the OEM''s experts describe as offering "an unprecedented degree of precision." More such programs will only increase plastics'' participation in this dynamic industry.

Matthew Defosse [email protected]

The drive for green

Hybrid drives and biofuels grab headlines, but the push for green in automotive has many OEMs and their suppliers investigating and applying renewable materials and technologies, ranging from soy-based foams to paint films to biocomposites with natural-fiber reinforcement.

Ford''s Cynthia Flanigan has focused on soy-based flexible foams for the last four years and estimates that half of the plastics groups at the world''s number-three automaker are involved in that OEM''s biomaterial effort, which includes soy-based foams, natural-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, biobased resins, and in South America, use of recycled resins.

Working with a grant from the United Soy Bean Board as well as partners Bayer MaterialScience for polyurethane; Lear and Intier for seating and interiors, and Urethane Soy System Co. for soy polyol, Ford has created flexible foams for use in headrests, seats, dashboards, and other areas, targeting the 30-40 lb of foam found in a vehicle.

In the two-part polyurethane system, Ford applies a polyol blend of soy and petroleum-based polyol, along with catalysts, surfactants, and blowing agents. Right now, 40% of the polyol is soy-based, so that 22% of the finished foam comes from a renewable material. The ultimate goal is for 100% soy-based polyol, which is deemed possible as material advances continue and given the similarities in processing between soy and petroleum-based polyols. "One of the advantages of using this particular material is that we don''t have to make any tooling changes," Flanigan says.

Seamless switch

From a machinery side, soy polyol also works with impingement mixing systems found in standard PUR processing. Two limiting factors that have kept soy-based foams off the road have been a slight odor, described as similar to vegetable oil, emanating from the foam, as well as lower reactivity of the material as the soy content increases. The odor issue has been addressed using masking techniques, where fragrances are added to cover the smell, or through chemical stripping, where low molecular-weight compounds are removed from the polyol.

In terms of reactivity, Flanigan says the methods used to make currently commercial soy polyols create secondary hydroxl groups, which are not as reactive and have relatively low functionality, forcing the addition of more catalysts, weakening the cost advantages of soy-based polyol. Suppliers are addressing these issues, with the overall interest in biomaterials stoking development. "It will be interesting to see what new products become available and that will really dictate the type of functionality we can get," she says.

Reinforcement by the bale

Ellen Lee, with Ford since 1998 working as a technical expert in plastics, has been investigating the replacement of glass or other inorganic fibers with natural plant-based varieties for roughly four years. Her work initially focused on sheet molding compounds (SMC), and has remained concentrated on thermoset carrier systems for the composite applications.

Lee says the potential to use natural fibers like hemp or kenaf exists in any area SMC is found, including radiator supports and grill opening reinforcements, with several applications already commercial. Right now the Ford Freestyle uses natural-fiber reinforcements in its third-row seatback, and the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator apply natural fibers in the door-trim panels. The natural fibers are much cheaper than glass alternatives, but moisture absorption and variable lengths can increase processing costs.

In terms of mechanical properties, the fibers trade some strength for reduced mass. "Natural fibers don''t give quite as much stiffness reinforcement as glass fibers do for similar weight loading," Lee says. "They do tend to have some other performance benefits or improvements."

Like Ford''s myriad efforts on green fronts, including geothermal cooling at a Lima, OH facility; fumes-to-fuel paint facilities where paint booth gases are collected and burned for energy; the capture and burning of landfill gases in Wayne, MI; a plant-covered "living roof" at the Dearborn, MI truck plant; and photovoltaic arrays for solar energy at the visitor center also in Dearborn, the automaker says its use of foams and natural fibers, as well as recycled materials, is not only a sustainable process, but it offers cost benefits.

The soy-based polyol, depending on the formulation, can be as much as 20% cheaper, while natural fibers range in cost from $.30-$.80/lb versus $.50-$.90/lb for glass fibers. In Brazil, the automaker has replaced ABS and PC/ABS with recycled polypropylene (PP) and PET using natural fillers, including coconut and sugar cane fibers as well as wood flour for reinforcement. An injection molded glove box made from recycled PP with wood flour offered a 17% weight and 54% cost reduction, while a recycled PET tailgate handle provided savings from 5%-25% over ABS, PC/ABS, and nylon.

Tony Deligio [email protected]

Bamboo behind the wheel

Combining a biomaterial with a natural bamboo-based filler, Mitsubishi Motor Corp. announced a partnership with the Aichi Industrial Technology Institute to formulate interior components from plant-based polybutylene succinate (PBS) fortified with bamboo fibers. Called Green Plastics, components made from the biocomposite will be used in a new concept minicar that will launch in Japan in 2007. The automaker began development work with Aichi on the program in 2005, and it says the PBS/bamboo material achieves a 50% cut in CO2 emissions over its lifetime compared with polyproyplene that might be used. The PBS resin is made from succinic acid and 1,4-butanediol, with the acid derived from the fermented sugar of corn or sugar cane. Bamboo is viewed as more renewable than some natural fillers given that it reaches its full height in only a few years. The company joins Toyota, which has used PLA in several applications, and Mazda, with its Ibuki concept, as automakers applying bioresins.

Paint film forms automotive niche

Paint film continues to make inroads in automotive, but now instead of pairing the film with injection molding, it''s increasingly being applied with thermoforming for parts as large as bumper fascia, giving entrée into class A components to suppliers with no prior paint investment.

Only months from production, a problematic stone shield for GM''s SSR vehicle gave Durakon Industries its introduction to paint-film technology back in 2003: its prior work in automotive had been dedicated to storage boxes and bedliners.

Today, the company is putting the finishing touches on a two-year expansion of its 166,000-ft2 Clinton, TN facility, which with the addition of extrusion and lamination equipment, including a cleanroom environment, will produce 250,000 thermoformed panels with paint film annually for the Buick Lucerne, among other applications.

"Right now, paint film is the only thing out there that gives the perfect color match and depth of image and gloss you need for a class A surface," explains Ed Gniewek, Durakon CEO.

Working with paint-film supplier Soliant (Lancaster, SC), Durakon has added thermoformed paint-film products for the Cadillac STA-V, Jeep Liberty Renegade, and the 9-7 Saab. Initially outsourcing the extrusion of sheet and paint lamination, Durakon decided to vertically integrate the capabilities to better ensure quality. To do so, it took an eight-inch extruder, readied it for coextrusion, and then linked it to a four-inch extrusion line, both of which were placed in what Gniewek calls a "semiclean" environment. The first line extrudes sheets, which are inspected and stacked in a 100,000-ppm environment. Those are fed through a wall slit to a 10,000-ppm area, where the film is laminated after a number of cleaning steps.

Companies like Durakon are keeping Soliant busy, according to Soliant VP of Operations, Jeff Bailey. "The people fro