LAKE FOREST, Ill., April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tenneco Inc. today announced it has received an Automotive News PACE Award for its diesel aftertreatment predictive development process, which was jointly developed at the company's Edenkoben, Germany, and Grass Lake, Michigan, engineering centers. The prestigious PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Award recognizes automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance.
"We are honored to win a PACE Award for a third consecutive year, as it reflects our commitment to meeting customers' needs through constant technological innovation," said Gregg Sherrill, chairman and CEO, Tenneco. "We have invested in perfecting clean diesel after-treatment because it serves as a key component in improving environmental performance."
According to the judges' citation, "[The] successful development and application of proprietary 'light tools' (are) for use in design of diesel after-treatment emission controls systems. This innovation requires only a fraction of the time and training it takes to learn and use more complex commercially available CAD/CAE software packages. Tenneco's proprietary tools ensure cost-effective manufacture and eliminate costly engineering rework cycles, as well as allowing quick and accurate response to rapidly changing customer demands."
The award winning suite of emission control predictive tools won in the Information Technology category. The process, which makes diesel exhaust emission systems meet strict new U.S. regulations, allows Tenneco to include an active particulate filter and catalyst in the same space as older, simpler exhausts. The computing innovation also enables quick design of a unique hanger system to quietly suspend heavier components, meeting durability and NVH requirements. By simulating the high-temperature cycles needed to clear soot from the filter, Tenneco created components able to tolerate temperature spikes of 600 degrees Celsius. Finally, Tenneco can also quickly model ash capacity and canning pressures.
As a result of the rapid modeling, Tenneco led the 2007-model North American market for diesel aftertreatments in light-duty trucks. The initial application for the innovative structural analysis design was performed on a 2007 model ITEC engine application.
Tenneco earned the Automotive News PACE Award following an extensive review by an independent panel of judges including a comprehensive written application and a site visit.
During the 13 years that the PACE Awards have been presented, Tenneco products have earned top recognition four times, with additional Honorable Mentions. Previous Tenneco PACE Award winners were in 2001 for the ASD shock absorber and in 2005 for the Kinetic RFS technology. Most recently Tenneco won a 2006 PACE Award for its innovative, low-cost light-weight muffler.
Tenneco is a $4.7 billion manufacturing company with headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois and approximately 19,000 employees worldwide. Tenneco is one of the world's largest designers, manufacturers and marketers of emission control and ride control products and systems for the automotive original equipment market and the aftermarket. Tenneco markets its products principally under the Monroe(R), Walker(R), Gillet(TM) and Clevite(R)Elastomer brand names.
Contacts: Jane Ostrander
Media Relations
847 482-5607
jostrander@tenneco.com
Leslie Hunziker
Investor Relations
847 482-5042
lhunziker@tenneco.com
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