Fluid-Toting Fan Shroud Wins Award - money-saving innovation of DaimlerChrysler - Brief Article

Automotive Industries,  Nov, 1999  by Dale Jewett

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The blow-molded fan shroud that doubles as the reservoirs for washer fluid and coolant introduced on the 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup and Durango sport-utility took the top honors in the Society of Plastic Engineer's annual awards contest. The shroud was developed by McCord Winn Textron, and has been credited with a $2.5 million sales during DaimlerChrysler AG's Supplier Cost Reduction Effort (SCORE) program. Combining five components into the integrated shroud saves more than $1.50 per vehicle. The key to the shroud is a deep-draw blow molding process that uses a sliding core and folding cavity. McCord Winn's next step is to integrate an electric cooling fan into the shroud, a move planned for another DaimlerChrysler vehicle in the near future.

While the fan shroud took the grand award, other plastic uses honored by the SPE include the grille opening reinforcement on the Ford Focus; the active intake manifold with plastic flap valves on the Rover 75; the soft TPO skin instrument panel for the Pontiac Bonneville; the lower radiator seal made from recycled fires on the Jeep Grand Cherokee; the plastic body panels on the Smart car, and molded-in-color fascias on the DaimlerChrysler Neon.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Cahners Publishing Company
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group