Milestones: GE Plastics Continues to Drive Automotive Innovation After Nearly 50 Years of Service

For nearly half a century, GE Plastics has set standards for high-performance automotive polymers. Beginning in 1958 with the introduction of Lexan* resin, its first engineering plastic, GE has continued the tradition of developing advanced automotive materials, while delivering world-class technical support and unparalleled customer service.

A brief chronology of GE Plastics’ major automotive milestones follows:

1893: Thomas Edison experiments with plastics filaments for light bulbs.

1930: GE creates its first Plastics Department.

1953: Dan Fox discovers Lexan polycarbonate (PC) resin, launching the modern era for engineering thermoplastics.

1958: GE introduces Lexan resin as a commercial product.

1964: GE introduces Noryl* modified PPO resin, providing automotive OEMs with a lightweight, ecologically optimized, high-performance alternative to metal.

1969: Lexan resin first used for taillights and indicated lenses on European sports cars.

1971: GE introduces its family of Valox* resins.

1982: Lexan resin enables all-plastic, sealed beam headlamps that are 30 to 50 percent lighter than conventional lamp fixtures.

1982: GE Plastics introduces its high-heat resistant Ultem* resin.

1984: Xenoy* resin developed for use on bumpers for leading OEMs.

1988: GE Plastics adds acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resins to its portfolio with acquisition of Borg-Warner Chemicals.

1990: GE Polymer Design Associate formed to provide one-stop shopping to OEM customers in independent engineering and design consulting.

1997: GE Plastics introduces weatherable thermoplastic materials.

1997: GE Plastics forms joint venture for development of polycarbonate auto glazing.

2000: GE Plastics acquires Cadilac Plastic and Commercial Plastics and Supply.

2002: GE Plastics purchases LNP* Engineering Plastics, adding compounding technology and expertise to its family of customer solutions.

2003: Led by Andre Horbach, GE consolidates its automotive businesses in the Americas, Europe, and Pacific Region to form a dedicated business unit, concentrating its resources and efforts exclusively on the worldwide automotive industry.

2005: Greg Adams takes over as global vice president of GE Plastics, Automotive.

2005: Suzuki Swift Pedestrian Protection Energy Absorber Featuring GE’s Xenoy Resin Wins SPE Automotive Innovation Award.

2005: GE launches ecomagination* campaign for Automotive, focusing on new Flexible Noryl resin for wire coating and Lexan SLX film for paint replacement.

2005: Together with the Royal College of Art of London, GE Plastics’ Automotive business launches first PLASTicon Student Design Competition.

Reader enquiries

GE Plastics, Automotive
Plasticslaan 1
4600 AC Bergen op Zoom
+31 164 29 31 48
anne.clement@​ge.com

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Notes for editors

* Lexan, Noryl, Valox, Ultem, Xenoy, LNP, and ecomagination are trademarks of General Electric Company.