Forming Technologies – 4th Annual Conference at the IFU in Stuttgart, September 24th, 2008

FTI is pleased to announce their fourth annual conference in Germany. The conference will take place on September 24th at the Institut für Umformtechnik, Universität Stuttgart, Universitätsstraße 38, Auditorium 38.02 Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Deutschland. This year’s theme is “Early Cost Identification and Reduction to Enable a Compound 15% Cost Reduction.”

“Discover new methodologies for the reduction of Product Costs and the role of Product, Process, Tooling and Production Engineering to shave off the costs and weight of your stamped components,” states Michael Gallagher, Vice President of FTI. “In order to prosper in competitive markets, companies must deliver profitable, innovative products. Cost optimization strategies enable early informed decision making; the driver for enhancing automotive ROI. World Class Automotive Manufacturers use key strategies and practices that lead to significant financial returns. The conference will focus on such strategies, methodologies and workflows to double digit cost reductions.”

The Conference program will cover:

• Product design for reduced material costs, tooling costs, and press
requirements while maintaining fit and function.
• Product Optimization for cost/weight via material upgrade to higher strength.
• Product strategies for material downgrade and downgauge.
• World Class workflow strategies including batch processing and
impact on early cost reduction practices.

This conference brings together companies that have gained significantly by integrating cost reduction technologies into their design, and estimating processes. The keynote speakers include Dr. Bruno Barthelemy, Global Manager of BIW, Ford, Mr. Wolfgang Harmening, Faurecia, Mr. Cem Akdemir, Tofas, and Dr. Medhat Karima, CEO, FTI.

www.forming.com