Hi Colleague,
Have you secured your spot at the WardsAuto Interiors Conference yet? Register Now to meet top designers and executives shaping the future of interiors at the automakers and Tier Ones.
You'll see keynote speeches from Ralph Gilles, Head of Design for FCA - Global, and Eric Brown, Director, Interaction Design for BMW Group Designworks.
You'll also hear the latest innovations from many automakers, suppliers and technology providers during our nine panel discussions. See the full list.
Plus, you need to save your spot now so you don't miss:
WARDS 10 BEST INTERIORS awards ceremony, with the winning vehicles on display for you to check out
EXHIBITS from top interior suppliers showing off their latest innovations
PEER NETWORKING - meet up with colleagues and make new connections
WHO ATTENDS THE WARDSAUTO INTERIORS CONFERENCE?
You'll join virtually every OEM and major supplier from the world of automotive interiors.
In 2016 these companies sent representatives to the conference (automakers in red):
| 3M Company ABC Group Accuride International Adchem Corporation Alcantara American Autocoat American Renolit Americhem Architexture Audi Autoliv ASP Avery Dennison Benecke-Kaliko Bose Corp Bostik Braskem America Consolidated Metco Continental NA CpK Interior Products Creative Foam Corp Daimler Trucks Delphi DENSO Detroit Manufacturing Dometic Corporation Dovercourt Finishing Dow Corning Corp DuPont EDAG, Inc. | EFI Lighting Engel Machinery Faurecia FCA US LLC Federal Mogul FlexForm Technologies Ford Motor Co Futuris GDC Corporation General Motors Grupo Antolin H.B. Fuller Harman HELLA Henkel HFI, LLC Hisco Honda Hope Global Hyundai IAC Intertek Inteva Products ITW Dynatec J.D. Power Johnson Controls JR Manufacturing Kasai North America | Kleiberit Adhesives Kraton Perf. Polymers Lazard Lear Corporation Lectra Leggett & Platt LG Hausys Light Fabrications LyondellBasell Magna Seating Marquardt Automotive Mazda Mercedes-Benz Methode Electronics Milsco Mfg. Mitsubishi Electric Mobis North America Mold-Tech Montaplast Nielsen Nissan Omron Automotive Technologies OPTIS North America Osram Opto Semiconductor Phillips-Medisize Plastic Plate, LLC Pocketsquare Design | PolyOne Robert Bosch LLC SABIC Innovative Plastics Sage Auto Interiors Saint-Gobain Sanko Gosei Schock Metal Seal Methods Inc. Sekisui Voltek, LLC Shawmut Corporation Sika Corporation SRG Global Standex Engraving Subaru SUHNER Mfg. Sunberg-Ferar Taica North America TASUS Techno Polymer Toray Industries Toyota United Paint & Chem. VentureSource Volvo Woodbridge Group Yanfeng Automotive Interiors Yazaki |
Which PANEL DISCUSSIONS will you attend?
During registration, you'll choose from these Panel Discussion sessions:
EARLY MORNING SESSIONS
PANEL 1: Materials Innovations
Materials can make or break a consumer’s first impression of a vehicle interior, but their importance goes far beyond aesthetics. Panelists will discuss the latest concepts for giving designers more creative freedom, reducing weight, reducing cost and optimizing eco-friendliness.
SPEAKERS:
- Rose Ryntz, Vice President-Advanced Dev. and Material Engineering, IAC (moderator)
- Robert Eller, President, Robert Eller Associates
- Adriano Odino, Technical Director, Renolit Composites
- Tony Tognetti, Technical Services & Development Engineer, Trinseo
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PANEL 2: New Ideas in Seating
A seat is a seat until someone invents something truly new that folds into the floor or uses electronically controlled air bladders to increase comfort. This session looks at examples where designers throw out the rulebook and create something dramatically different.
SPEAKERS:
John Oilar, Vice President - Engineering, Magna Seating (moderator)
Nick Petouhoff, Executive Director Engineering and Innovation, Adient
Kai Kruger, Director of Engineering, Recaro Engineering Performance Car
Speaker Name TBA, Honda
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PANEL 3: Autonomous Interiors 2.0
We’ve all seen the first generation of living-room-on-wheels designs for autonomous vehicles. This session looks at the next generation of concepts being developed with self-driving vehicles in mind.
SPEAKERS:
Nina Mital, Design Partner, Pocketsquare Design (moderator)
Dave Muyres, Executive Director, Global Research and Advanced Development, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors
Carter Cannon, Manager Functional Integration, Advanced Dev. and Engineering, IAC
Stefan Weissert, Director - Car Multimedia Division, Bosch
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LATE MORNING SESSIONS:
PANEL 4: Lightweighting Interiors
Automakers have spent decades removing mass from vehicles, but there’s still work to do, especially in the cabin. Numerous technologies and strategies for removing weight while still enhancing comfort, quiet and aesthetics will be discussed.
SPEAKERS:
Michael Maddelein, Vice President of Global Engineering, Inteva
Jim Badhorn, Product Manager - Underbody Systems, Roechling Automotive
Helmut Doyen, Director of Sales for OES, North America, Sika
Keith Nagara, Director, Transportation Design Program, Lawrence Technological University (moderator)
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PANEL 5: Creating the Ultimate User Experience
The “user experience,” a term that has migrated from consumer electronics to the world of automotive interior design, presents a new challenge: How do designers and engineers take the flood of information flowing in and out of vehicles and personal devices and turn it into positive encounters that delight, inform, entertain and protect drivers and passengers?
SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Clavin, Ninjaneer, Pillar Technology (moderator)
Jim Hotary, Director of xWorks Innovation Center, Faurecia
Chris Ludwig, Sr. Director - EPIC Experience Team, Harman
Speaker Name TBA , Visteon
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PANEL 6: Manufacturing World-Class Interiors
Panelists will discuss manufacturing processes and technologies that enable automakers and suppliers to produce world-leading interiors.
SPEAKERS:
Bill Windschief, President and Founder, Advanced Innovative Solutions (moderator)
John White, Lead Research Chemist, Henkel
Speaker Name TBA, Lectra
Ernie Wilson, Vice President - Advanced Development & Engineering, IAC
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AFTERNOON SESSIONS:
PANEL 7: The Future of Premium Materials
How will current materials associated with luxury such as leather and natural wood evolve to meet future demands for weight reduction, new designs and production efficiencies? What other materials are being developed that offer designers new definitions of luxury?
SPEAKERS:
Richard Vaughan, Industrial Designer/Consultant/Author, 363 Insights (moderator)
Thomas Gould, Director of Industrial Design and Craftsmanship, Adient
Gary Braddock, Design Partner, Pocketsquare Design
Stephen Jeske, Senior VP - Sales, Marketing and Product Dev., GST AutoLeather
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PANEL 8: Designing the Cockpit of the Future
Before the totally autonomous vehicle arrives in the future, a range of technologies will begin transforming how we interact with cars. Realistically speaking, what will the near-term cockpit, instrument panel and HMI look like for the next several product cycles?
SPEAKERS:
Patrick Murray, Founder, Murray Design LLC (moderator)
Aidano Nascimento, Design & Innovation Studio Manager, Inteva
Scott Shields, Senior Manager of Innovations, NAO, Faurecia
Matt Yurdana, Creative Director, The Internet of Things Experience Group, Intel
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PANEL 9: What do Consumers Really Want?
Car buyers never asked for infotainment systems that connect with smartphones, minivans with two sliding doors instead of one, or even heated seats. Today, many consumers can’t live without these features. This panel will discuss how to anticipate consumer wants and needs in vehicle interiors and how to learn from past mistakes.
SPEAKERS:
John Sousanis, Managing Director, WardsAuto (moderator)
Susan Drescher, HMI Technical Expert, Continental
Sylviane Meyer, Global Director of Research and Insights, Adient
Mike VanNieuwkuyk, Vice President - Automotive, Harris Insights & Analytics
Renae Pippel, Director of Global Strategic Research, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors
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EXHIBITORS / SPONSORS: STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION SPONSORS:
PRESENTING
SPONSOR
AdientPLATINUM
Faurecia
IntevaGOLD
3M
Accuride
AdChem
Bostik
Benecke-Kaliko
Henkel
IAC
Kleiberit
Magna Seating
National Manufacturing
Optis
Sika
SRG Global
Sunstar Engineering
Techno Polymer
America
Toray
Trinseo
YanfengSILVER
ABI Tape
American Renolit Corp.
Continental
Dometic
HLH Prototypes
Intertek
KIPP
KURZ
Suhner Manufacturing
Spectrum
SynTouch LLC
TAICA
Vulcan Spring
IAC
Lear Corporation
Get a glimpse of the conference from 2016, and follow links to our photo gallery and event coverage. Check it out now.
READ COVERAGE FROM THE 2016 CONFERENCE
WardsAuto reporters provide details on the major happenings at the 2016 Interiors Conference. Read now.
SEE PHOTOS FROM THE 2016 CONFERENCE
Our Flickr gallery gives you a first-hand view of our 2016 event from every angle. See the photos now.