Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global specialty materials and chemical company, and Cooper Standard (NYSE: CPE), a leading global supplier of sealing and fluid handling systems and components, today announced that the industry’s first use of Santoprene® TPV (thermoplastic vulcanizate) in an automotive glass run channel has been named the 2026 SPE® Automotive Hall of Fame winner. The award will be presented during SPE’s 55th Annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala on November 4, 2026.
The honored application was the industry’s first to replace EPDM thermoset rubber with Santoprene® TPV in the extruded channel in which a vehicle’s side windows travel, proving that a thermoplastic could match the rubber-like sealing the industry relied on against weather, dust and noise.
That result came from collaboration across the automotive value chain. The Santoprene® TPV business, now part of Celanese, contributed the material development expertise, while Cooper Standard, through its acquired company Jyco, brought the design and manufacturing know-how to move the concept into series production. Because TPV extrusion required less capital investment and less production space than rubber processing, the teams could build a compelling business case that enabled the OEM to convert from EPDM during a mid-cycle program.
The switch also brought sustainability gains that still matter today. Lower density and design optimization cut part weight by approximately 30 to 50 percent compared with EPDM, supporting improved vehicle fuel efficiency, and unlike thermoset rubber, TPV can be reprocessed as scrap and recycled at end of life. Celanese has since extended those advantages with Santoprene® TPV ECO-R grades containing post-consumer recycled content.
“Replacing rubber in a glass run channel meant matching the performance of a material the industry had trusted for decades, and doing it in a thermoplastic,” said Todd Elliott, Senior Vice President, Engineered Materials at Celanese. “What made it work was that the material and the part were developed together rather than in sequence, and more than two decades on, that approach has become the industry standard.”
The success of that first program gave both companies a foundation to build on, and the solution was replicated across additional applications and vehicle platforms. TPV now accounts for approximately 55 percent of the global glass run channel market.
“Sophisticated product design, digital analysis and manufacturing excellence were critical to making this application successful,” said Lorcan McCooey, Vice President, Global Sealing Product Development, Cooper Standard. “Plastics and rubber behave very differently, so our team designed around the unique characteristics of TPV to create a durable solution built for long-term performance. That work helped establish Cooper Standard as a leading expert in TPV vehicle sealing and laid the foundation for many additional sealing innovations.”
The two companies continue to work together on higher-performance technologies for increasingly demanding automotive sealing applications, extending a partnership that began with a single component on a single vehicle and now spans platforms worldwide.
About Celanese
Celanese is a global leader in chemistry, producing specialty material solutions used across most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use our chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees and shareholders. We support sustainability by responsibly managing the materials we create and growing our portfolio of sustainable products to meet customer and societal demand. We strive to make a positive impact in our communities and to foster inclusivity across our teams. Celanese Corporation is a Fortune 500 company that employs more than 11,000 employees worldwide with 2025 net sales of $9.4 billion.
About Cooper Standard
Cooper Standard, headquartered in Northville, Mich., with locations in 20 countries, is a leading global supplier of sealing and fluid handling systems and components. Utilizing our materials science and manufacturing expertise, we create innovative and sustainable engineered solutions for diverse transportation and industrial markets. Cooper Standard’s approximately 22,000 team members (including contingent workers) are at the heart of our success, continuously improving our business and surrounding communities. Learn more at www.cooperstandard.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
Disclaimer
Full details of the 2026 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards, including the Hall of Fame award criteria and the complete list of honorees, are available from the SPE Automotive Division at: Innovation Awards Competition & Gala. Santoprene® is a registered trademark of Celanese or its affiliates. SPE® is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
All registered trademarks are owned by Celanese International Corporation or its affiliates.
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