Auto Alley - Detroit Materials logo 4-2015

Media Contact: Pedro Guillen, CEO, pjg@detroitmaterials.com, 248.924.5436

Wixom, Mich. – April 29, 2015 – Detroit Materials, Inc., an advanced materials firm based in Wixom, Mich. and focused on the commercialization of ultrahigh performance structural materials, announces it was a winner at the 7th Annual Global Automotive Innovation Challenge (GAIC) at the SAE World Congress, held in Detroit from April 21 – 23. The GAIC serves to shortcut the arduous filtering process in large organizations to bring new innovations to the industry.

More than 38 companies from around the world applied to the GAIC and 12 were named finalists during the final pitch event held at NextEnergy in Detroit on April 2. The GAIC challenge concluded with winners announced on April 22 from four categories:

Category one: Vehicle electrification, V2X and advanced mobility SiNode Systems
Category two: Advanced materials, sensors and manufacturing processes
Category three: Infotainment, auto consumer and value chain/business model
Category four: New high value and disruptive technology innovations, Advanced Battery Concepts

Detroit Materials ultimately took the top prize in category two: advanced materials, sensors and manufacturing processes. Each GAIC category winner receives $50,000 worth of business commercialization acceleration services and cash.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for our superior products through the Global Automotive Innovation Challenge award,” Pedro Guillen, Detroit Materials CEO, said. “We are grateful for the additional support we have received from Automation Alley’s 7Cs™ entrepreneurship program and to be able to compete at the world stage of automotive innovation.”

Detroit Materials is a member of Automation Alley’s 7Cs™ entrepreneurship program, which helps advance manufacturing startups across southeast Michigan.

Detroit Materials produces the strongest castable low-alloy steel in the market. These advanced steels offer a combination of strength, toughness, hardness and elongation currently only available in the form of highly alloyed and costly exotic steels. The company serves the defense, off-highway, tooling and transportation industries and creates steel with an average 40 percent lower material cost and similar properties to exotic alloys such as boron, nickel and cobalt.

For more information on the Annual Global Automotive Innovation Challenge, visit http://www.nextenergy.org/gaic.

About Detroit Materials
Detroit Materials, Inc. is an advanced materials firm focused on the commercialization of ultrahigh performance structural materials. Detroit Materials has a portfolio of customizable high-strength low-alloy structural ferrous materials for demanding applications in the defense, off-highway, tooling, and transportation industries. For more information, visit www.detroitmaterials.com.

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