Shape Corp. is the winner of the 20th international Swedish Steel Prize The prize is awarded for the groundbreaking use of martensitic steel in a 3D formed tube for automotive roof rail applications. “With great skill, Shape Corp. has shown the way forward and has succeeded in efficiently utilizing a modern material with the highest possible strength level. This shows a major opportunity in challenging other lightweight materials with a steel solution that allows for circular material flows,” says Eva Petursson, chair of the Swedish Steel Prize jury and head of SSAB’s research and innovation. Shape’s cost effective and robust manufacturing process for 3D shaped tubes made it possible to utilize the cold forming […]
On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, Shape, along with representatives from General Motors, accepted an award for the auto industry’s first curved pultruded composite bumper beam for the rear of the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette at the 49th annual SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Michigan. Years of effort from multiple teams culminated with a win in the category of Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies for the rear bumper. This innovation was produced through a unique radius-pultrusion process to match the rear styling and vehicle package space while saving on mass, adding to the Corvette’s lightweight profile.
Matt Luna has had a passion for racing motorcycles since he was about five years old. Mini bikes, motorcycles—you name it. “My dad wouldn’t let me race until I was out of the house and as soon as I was out, I started racing,” Matt said. “I went pro in my 30s. I would travel around all around the East coast series doing all of these hill climbs. At age 47, I was 5th in the nation.” Matt, who’s always been very mechanically-included, has been building professional hill climb bikes for people for years. But he has another special talent: He remakes motorcycles for paraplegic racers. “I do what makes […]
Shape Corp. engineered and manufactured the automotive industry’s first curved, multi-hollow pultruded carbon fiber bumper beam for the newly unveiled 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The bumper’s superior properties produce a very light weight component, which contributes to protecting the rear and expanded trunk. “As we strengthen our technology profile, the addition of carbon fiber pultrusion allows us to showcase our ability to drive innovation,” said Shape Corp. President and CEO Mark White. “The success of this project speaks volumes on the technical talent we have on our team and as a global industry leader, we will continuously expand our manufacturing capabilities on all facets of our operations. The ability […]
Shape Corp. is excited to introduce and welcome Meredith Glass as the organization’s new Vice President of Global Sales. In this role, Glass will report directly to president and CEO Mark White, and will be joining Shape’s executive leadership council. Glass joins Shape from Schaeffler, a global automotive and industrial supplier, where she held an assortment of positions, including numerous key roles within engineering, sales, program management, and finance. Glass’ most recent position was Senior Vice President Global Key Account Management in which she managed Schaeffler’s global business with General Motors, including customer satisfaction, operations, growth, and strategy. Leading up to that, Glass immersed herself in a variety of […]
On The MoveOur Next Steps To Success We are living in the most transformative time in the history of the automotive and transportation industry. The realization of autonomous driving technology, electric and hybrid powertrains, connected cars and ride sharing are all drastically changing the landscape for our customers and the automotive supplier community. Everyone is having to rethink the fundamentals of their business and how they add value. We recognize this fact at Shape and have been making big moves to prepare for an exciting future. Part of that is improving the overall competitiveness and efficiency of our business. In 2018, our global customers experienced many of these improvements first-hand, […]
Shape Corp. is pleased to introduce and welcome Jonathan Gregory as the company’s new chief operations officer. In this new role, Gregory will report directly to president Mark White. Jonathan Gregory Gregory joins Shape from Faurecia, where he served as the global vice president of operations, quality and HSE. While at Faurecia, he led global operations teams across 80 plants to generate increased profitability for their interior systems business group, while implementing continuous improvement projects across the organization. The majority of these projects were focused on leveraging technological advancements that drove increased quality. “Jon’s background brings a significant amount of value to Shape as we continue to grow and strengthen […]
Shape Corp. is excited to introduce and welcome Randy Pappal as the company’s vice president of global purchasing-supply chain and business development. In this new role, Pappal will report directly to president Mark White and will join Shape’s executive leadership council. Pappal comes to Shape from General Motors Corp., where he held a variety of positions, including executive leadership roles within key business and purchasing functions. In his most recent role, Pappal was the executive director of global purchasing and supply chain for GM’s body and exteriors team. Leading up to that, Randy lived and worked within several global locations, including Mexico, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil and Argentina. In […]
Pultrusion is one of the most cost-effective processes for manufacturing high-volume composite parts. Recently Composites World featured Shape Corp’s recent composites advancements as an example of the growth composites are experiencing in the automotive market place. To read the full article click here.
Applications for carbon fiber in a vehicle’s body structure continue to gain positive momentum, with BMW’s i3 being a prime example. Advancements are being made throughout the industry and the case for carbon fiber is becoming more viable. Learn more by reading a recent article from Automotive Manufacturing Solutions. Read more…