Visitors to the International Supplier Fair in Germany were able to see British lightweight technology designed specifically for the automotive industry first hand this month October.
Automotive Insulations, who develop and manufacture lightweight acoustic and thermal materials for a range of vehicles, were exhibiting at the IZB event held over three days. The biennial event is one of Europe’s leading trade fairs for the automotive sector.
The Automotive Insulations stand included a fully converted showcase Mini One insulated with individually designed 3D and 2D NVH parts which utilise a range of technologies, including thermoforming, drape moulding, cut and seal, die cutting and reaction moulding. The Mini was stripped of its engine along with one side of the interior. A 32” television was fitted in place of the steering wheel and dashboard, a 24” monitor was placed under the bonnet and a surround sound kit in the boot, along with a wireless touchpad inside the car itself.
Sales engineer Steve Richardson of Automotive Insulations explained, “The Mini was transformed to give a complete overview of our acoustic and thermal capabilities. It certainly attracted a lot of positive attention during the fair and enabled us to clearly demonstrate our material capabilities through the use of the surround sound system and our in house acoustic testing.”
There were seven staff from Automotive Insulations present at the event, some on the stand dealing with queries and explaining the technologies on show whilst other staff took the opportunity to network with potential customers and suppliers.
“It was our first time at IZB; it’s such a prestigious event in our industry that we knew we had to do something unusual to stand out amongst the competition,” commented Automotive Insulations’ MD Jim Griffin. “We were delighted with the response from delegates. The event offered some fantastic opportunities for the growth and expansion of the business within the global market.”
Automotive Insulations already have a presence in the German automotive market, with a sister site known as Rheinland Insulations (RI) near Dusseldorf. RI manufacture materials for car production in Germany and the UK as well as for the construction and specialist vehicle markets.
The IZB has been running since 2001 and attracts major manufacturers and suppliers from the automotive industry. Originally an in-house supplier event for Volkswagen, IZB has become one of Germany’s most important trade events for the OE parts manufacturing industry. Lectures and events at the show included a forum on lightweight construction in the automotive industry discussing how weight savings can be made by using new materials and material compositions.
