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 Troy, MI— On December 7th, Engineering Technology Associates, Inc. (ETA) was selected from amongst five finalists as the winner of the 2nd Annual SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Detroit Section/MITEF Vehicle Innovation Competition. ETA’s winning entry was a seamlessly integrated design development process, entitled the Accelerated Concept to Product (ACP) Process.
After two selection rounds, the five finalists were invited to present their innovations at the San Marino Club in Troy, Michigan. Representatives from industry leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers served as judges for the competition and ultimately selected the ACP Process as the winner of the award in the established company category. The award marked ACP as the innovation likely to have the biggest positive impact on the automotive industry and its products going forward.
ETA presented the key benefits of the ACP Process at the event. These include a demonstrated capability to reduce product development costs by 35-40%, reduce product mass by approximately 20%, improve product performance (stiffness, NVH, crash/safety, durability) as well as reduce manufacturing and tooling cost through part consolidation.
The ACP Process is a proprietary, performance-driven, holistic product design development method which is based on design optimization. ACP incorporates the use of multiple CAE tools in a systematic process to generate the optimal design solution.
Contrary to conventional methods where just one or a few design concepts are evaluated, using the ACP process, multiple load conditions are evaluated simultaneously for hundreds of design concepts. The resulting concepts are detailed, analyzed and optimized. This ensures that final product meets all performance, mass and cost targets.
Significant efficiencies and product improvements are achievable using the ACP Process, whether it is applied on a component, sub-system or full-system. In this practice, ETA’s expert team revisits process requirements and uses the most advanced technology, tools and materials to give the client the lightest possible structure.
A tier-one supplier to the global automotive industry, ETA’s clients include Ford, General Motors (GM), and Chrysler. Its esteemed client list also includes the Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) and WorldAutoSteel.
Advanced Product Development engineers working as structural analysts for the world’s largest automotive manufacturers established ETA in 1983. ETA’s expertise in the areas of vehicle durability, NVH, metal forming, crashworthiness, occupant safety and product design have led to its development of the ACP Process. Proactive in the creation and implementation of new analysis methods and software, ETA is the developer of DYNAFORM and VPG. ETA is a subsidiary of Cranes Software International Limited (CSIL). For more information, please go to www.eta.com or call (248) 729-3010.
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