Window of Opportunity

摘要

Faced with a growing emphasis on fuel efficiency, automakersrnhave tried to find ways to increase their vehicles' miles-per-gallon ratings, while at the same time lowering production costs. One way is to reduce vehicle weight, which was the focus of a recent product launch from a reputable tier one supplier for one of the Big Three automakers.rnThe challenge presented by this manufacturing project was how to drive down the weight of the product while still maintaining its structural integrity. Then there were price concerns that accompanied an item with 34 different functional physical features, complex glass-reinforced polypropylene chemistry, reaction kinetics of injection-compression molding and numerous regulatory and nonstatutory validation testing requirements.