Brose Prize 2009: Award for the Plastics Specialists

Engineers Michael Geier (Erlangen-Nuremberg University) and Dr. Reinhardt Schiffers (Duisburg-Essen University) are the winners of this year’s Brose Prize, donated as part of Brose's partnership with the Scientific Alliance of Polymer Technology (WAK); it rewards outstanding work in developing new procedures and methods for plastics engineering. The two experts received the awards, worth a total of 9,000 euros, from the man at the helm of worldwide production at Brose, Thomas Spangler, at Paderborn University. The ceremony took place during the special colloquium being held in honor of the 70th birthday of the institute’s former director, Professor Helmut Potente.

Once a year the WAK, which is made up of 26 renowned professors of German or other nationalities specializing in plastics engineering, awards a prize to six scientists in three different fields. There is one prize donor per field. Brose is assuming this role for the third time, with the aim of maintaining its close contacts with the WAK and giving the company greater prominence in the scientific world of polymers.

“Engineers are really able to let their creative juices flow with plastics, which is a material with plenty of potential in design and use – and that's what our prize-winners have shown with their excellent scientific work,” said Spangler, adding, “We also wanted to draw the attention of up-and-coming engineers to the attractive sector of work that plastics engineering represents.”

Plastics are becoming an ever more important material in all product areas at Brose – for example in cooling fan modules, lightweight seat pans and door systems. For example, in 2008, the company began producing its own plastic carrier plates in its Hallstadt factory
as part of a customer project.

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