How Can Leading Companies in the Automotive Supply Chain Accelerate Innovation to Drive Sustainable Manufacturing and Economic Growth?

WASHINGTON -- July 15, 2014: The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) today announced that its 2014 Summit on Accelerating Innovation will be held on October 21-22, 2014 at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan.

The 2nd annual Summit on Accelerating Innovation brings together industry leaders and leading experts from across North America in the automotive supply chain, academia, and government to collaboratively explore opportunities to accelerate innovation to deliver economic and environmental value to the auto supply chain.

"This Summit is truly a unique, hands-on opportunity for leading organizations in the North American automotive industry to come together to interactively explore and cooperatively cultivate strategic opportunities to accelerate the industry's environmental and economic performance," said Russell Brynolf, CEO of FTS Technologies and SP's Vice-Chair. "This is an active, participant driven event designed to engage and leverage a diverse range of experiences and expertise from across the supply chain to understand barriers and identify opportunities to increase value."

"Public and private sector leaders across the country increasingly recognize the critical link between manufacturing leadership, innovation and economic growth. This Summit provides a collaborative platform for leading organizations in the automotive industry to collectively develop and advance that spirit of continuous innovation within their own workforces, and across the supply chain," said Steve Hellem, Executive Director, Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP).

Participants in the 2014 Summit on Accelerating Innovation will:

Engage with a cross section of industry leaders from across the North American automotive supply chain in interactive working sessions Collaboratively develop, explore and examine potential strategies and solutions to shared business challenges; focusing on Enabling Innovation, Improving the Business Climate, and Securing the Talent Pipeline Gain awareness of unique perspectives and approaches, and important gaps and opportunities to be addressed related to sustainable innovation. To learn more about the 2014 Summit on Accelerating Innovation and opportunities to participate, visit Supplier Partnership/