MuCell molding technology helped Ford meet weight-reduction targets in compact SUVs
Instrument panel production at Faurecia's Fraser, Mich. plant
AUBURN HILLS, Mich.—Automotive supplier Faurecia has been awarded top honours from the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) for its interior work on Ford’s 2012 Escape and Kuga CUV.
The companies earned SPE’s Grand Awards for Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies and the overall Most Innovative Use of Automotive Plastics in 2011 for Faurecia’s MuCell technology.
“In an industry that is highly impacted by volatile gas prices and stricter regulations, every ounce saved on a vehicle makes a difference,” says Michel Renaudie, president of Faurecia Interior Systems North America. “This process has enabled us to remove more than one pound of weight from the vehicle and save time on production.”
Faurecia’s MuCell process adds a gas into the molded part during the injection process, hence less plastic is used, which helped Ford meet weight-reduction targets to improve overall gas mileage.
Faurecia North America had sales of $3.4 billion in 2010.
The Group has 33 production sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and employs more than 15,000 people.