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Similarly to previous years, the automotive industry’s efforts in 2019 were focused on reducing the weight of car parts for the purpose of improving their energy efficiency (it is predicted that this trend will persist in the coming years). This means lower fuel consumption by combustion engines and greater range for electrical vehicles. This goal can be achieved by applying lighter materials, such as thermoplastics, and particularly expanded polypropylene (EPP), whose applications are increasing with every passing year.

The widespread application of plastics in the automotive industry does not just enable manufacturing of lighter and more energy-saving vehicles, it also makes them safer. As manufacturers fine-tune designs and introduce new materials, prejudices like “the stiffer, the safer” are eliminated. In this sense, the role of thermoplastics like expanded polypropylene (EPP) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) is critical.

When Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first motor vehicle in history, in 1885, he didn’t think to install bumpers. In his car design, which was essentially a tri-wheeler with large wheels, equipped with a combustion engine, the German motorization pioneer did not foresee the need to install parts and components that would have a decided impact on the evolution of car design and safety, despite the awareness that a collision with another vehicle might take place.

Currently, in the field of human resources management, much is being said of the soft approach, which was perfectly described by Steve Jobs: ”it doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do”. We speak to Alicja Zmorzyńska, Sales Director at Knauf Industries and winner of the Knauf Leadership Award 2019, about the humanistic aspects of business.

The concept of car sharing is often listed among the megatrends that will change automotive in the coming years, i.e. electromobility, Internet connectivity of cars, and autonomy. These trends are precipitating changes in how we will design and manufacture cars, even within the next 10 years.