Celanese Takes Top Honor at 2017 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global technology and specialty materials company, has received the highest Automotive Innovation Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) for its engineered material critical to the award-winning active grille shutter developed for the all-new Ford Expedition. The SPE Automotive Innovation Awards program honors the best companies in automotive plastics and is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the automotive and plastics industries.

At the 47th Annual SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition and Gala held Wednesday, Nov. 8 in Detroit, Michigan, SPE hosted more than 800 innovators, engineers and scientists. SPE recognized Celanese with the Grand Award and a category award for its innovation in the Body Exterior category alongside project system supplier Magna International, mold tooling supplier Integrity Tool & Mold, and automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Company. The award-winning active grille shutter uses Celanese’s Celstran® long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (LFRT) technology to deliver an enhanced two-shot injection molded part that is three pounds lighter than alternative metal-nylon hybrids. Celanese’s technology enables the elimination of a full front end module, delivering approximately $66 savings per vehicle.

With the theme Intelligent Automotive Design in Plastics, the awards competition highlighted innovative uses of plastic to address industry challenges.

“The intelligent use of plastics will become even more critical when addressing technology and regulatory challenges for future mobility,” said Michael Ruby, corporate accounts director for Celanese’s Automotive Americas business, during the event’s keynote address. “With the evolution of increasingly autonomous, interconnected and electrified vehicles, our material expertise enables automakers to exceed their targets for energy efficiency, wear resistance, weight reduction, higher performance, increased recyclability and sustainability.”

Celanese supplied material for four projects selected as finalists. This is Celanese’s fourth category winner in five years. Each Celanese engineered material reflects nearly a century of technical expertise, as well as industry experience and a global perspective. Celanese engineers work locally with automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), tier suppliers and molders around the world to learn specific customer needs and identify the right polymers to simplify part design, reduce weight and improve durability while reducing costs and development time.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our two complementary business cores, Acetyl Chain and Materials Solutions, use the full breadth of Celanese’s global chemistry, technology and business expertise to create value for our customers and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,500 employees worldwide and had 2016 net sales of $5.4 billion. For more information about Celanese and our product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.

All registered trademarks are owned by Celanese International Corporation or its affiliates.

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