Schaeffler named 2015 Automotive News PACE Award finalist for torque converter with piston back pressure compensation

TROY, Mich., Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth time in six years, Schaeffler – a leading global manufacturer of high-precision automotive products and systems for engines, transmissions and chassis applications – was named as a finalist for the 2015 Automotive News PACE Award. The global automotive supplier's LuK torque converter with piston back pressure compensation was named a finalist in the product category. The awards honor supplier innovation in product, manufacturing process and information technology.

"The demand for innovative technology to improve efficiency extends into nearly every industry," said Jeff Hemphill, chief technology officer, Schaeffler. "This honor demonstrates our success in developing products and technologies that help our customers overcome the challenges of today's evolving auto industry with innovative, cost-effective solutions."

Schaeffler's piston back pressure compensation is a compelling example of innovation in response to increasing demands for fuel economy. The basis of the innovation is the torque converter lockup clutch. Schaeffler's team of development engineers reconfigured the torque converter lockup clutch with a basic concept – simplification for the vehicle manufacturer. Improved lockup control can enable up to three percent fuel economy improvement depending on the baseline

The team reduced the need to compensate for unwanted clutch control effects by compensating directly inside the torque converter instead of through vehicle calibration. Clutch controllability is an increased concern with modern transmissions that are designed for maximum efficiency. The packaging in a front wheel drive application was an additional challenge that was met with the highly optimized piston and cover hub design.

This is the fifth time in the past six years that Schaeffler has been named a finalist in the PACE Awards. Earlier this year, the company won a 2014 PACE Award for its torque converter with centrifugal pendulum absorber. In 2012, Schaeffler was a PACE Award winner for its UniAir fully variable engine valve lift system and also earned an Innovation Partnership Award along with Fiat Powertrain and Chrysler Group.

The 21st annual PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Awards honor supplier innovation in product, manufacturing process and information technology. In the coming months, the finalists will host PACE judges, who are experts from industry, academia and business, who will evaluate the innovations for creativity and market impact. Winners will be announced April 20, 2015 at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

About Schaeffler
Schaeffler with its product brands INA, LuK and FAG is a leading global provider of rolling bearing and plain bearing solutions and of linear and direct drive technology, as well as a renowned supplier to the automotive industry of high-precision products and systems for engines, transmissions and chassis. The group of companies with operations around the world generated revenue of approximately EUR 11.2 bn in 2013. With more than 80,000 employees worldwide, Schaeffler is one of the largest German and European technology companies in family ownership. With 170 locations in 49 countries, Schaeffler has a worldwide network of manufacturing locations, research and development facilities, sales companies, engineering offices, and training centers.

To serve the North American automotive market, Schaeffler operates development centers in: Troy, Mich.; Fort Mill, S.C.; Wooster, Ohio; and Puebla, Mexico. The company's 400 North American engineers and technicians, who are supported by a team of more than 6,000 global engineers, drive development in the region utilizing state-of-the-art test and measurement equipment, computational tools and CAD systems. Schaeffler Automotive has headquarters in Fort Mill and manufacturing facilities in: South Carolina; Missouri; Ohio; Ontario, Canada; Puebla and Irapuato, Mexico. For more information, please visit www.schaeffler.us.

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SOURCE Schaeffler

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