Magna receives Most Innovative Automotive Supplier award
Canadian Plastics
AutomotiveIt's the second time a Magna technology has been selected for this award.
For the second time in three years, Aurora, Ont.-based automotive parts supplier Magna International Inc. has won an AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award from the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Germany.
Magna was recognized as the Most Innovative Automotive Supplier in the chassis, car body and exterior category for its new process of welding steel and aluminum together.
Magna’s Christian Knollmayr and Werner Karner accept the AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 4, 2017.
With Magna’s new welding process, aluminum components can be joined to steel to make a multi-material vehicle structure with less mass and weight than an all-steel version. Magna’s innovation makes use of traditional spot-welding techniques, which means no additional assembly line machinery or steps are necessary.
“This innovation includes cross-group collaboration within Magna, where Magna Steyr and Cosma are working together to industrialize this new process into our Graz contract manufacturing facility,” said Gunther Apfalter, president of Magna Steyr. “In the future our customers will be able to benefit from this cost-effective lightweighting technique we can offer as part of our full-vehicle expertise.”
In 2015, Magna received the Most Innovative Automotive Supplier award in the driveline technologies category for its FLEX4™ technology, which was said to be the first all-wheel drive (AWD) disconnect system that automatically shifts between true two- and four-wheel drive and reduces fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent compared to other AWD systems.
