National Press Release

WARRENDALE, Pa., June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a move to better meet the needs of today's busy commercial vehicle engineering professionals, the SAE 2009 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress and Exhibition will go to a two-day format. Scheduled for Oct. 6-7 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., the event will offer the same amount of technical information and panel discussions as in the past, but in a way that best addresses industry needs.

"We recognize that the engineer working in the commercial vehicle industry today needs resources and networking but needs to get these tools with less time away from their desks." says Mark Pflederer, Co-Chair of the SAE 2009 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress and Exhibition and Vice President of the Electronics and Machine Systems Division at Caterpillar Inc. "The COMVEC (SAE Commercial Vehicle Congress) Executive Council and SAE International have proactively responded to these needs and the current climate of the industry."

Pflederer added, "We're offering the same value attendees have come to expect from the essential commercial vehicle technology event but in a time compressed schedule designed to more efficiently deliver this value."

Highlights for the SAE 2009 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress and Exhibition include:

    --  Global Executive Leadership Panel

This panel will look at how engineering and management of innovation impact the business side of the commercial vehicle industry.

Moderator: Gwenne Henricks - Vice President, Caterpillar

Panelists: Steven Wunning -- Group President, Caterpillar (confirmed); Randy Baker - President and CEO, Case IH (confirmed); Eric Nielsen -- President of Mining and Material Processing Segment, Terex (confirmed) and Dave Grzelak -- Chairman and CEO of Komatsu USA (invited)

    --  Workforce Development and Pipeline Panel

The panel will focus on the challenges in making the transition from academia to industry, what has worked versus what has not.

    --  Tier 4 Panel Series  - Part 2: Vehicle Integration, Service and
        Aftermarket Impacts

This series will review the various machine impacts of off-highway Tier 4 emission solution, along with the upcoming service and after-market impact of Tier 4, incorporating some of the learning from the on-highway segment from the 2007 regulations for on-highway engines.

    --  Technical sessions will feature innovations and breakthroughs that
        affect the technology of tomorrow, today. Topics include
        drivetrain/powertrain, chassis, suspension, braking, steering, fluid
        power, electronics, maintenance, safety, fuels, sustainability,
        legislation/regulation, emissions/environment, and executive management.

    --  Special Sessions slated for the event include 2010 Emissions Solutions,
        Visualization and Virtual Reality in Vehicle Design, Connectivity, and
        Intelligent Transportation /the I-95 Corridor Project.

    --  Invited keynote speaker for the conference is Ray LaHood, United States
        Secretary of Transportation.

For more information on the SAE 2009 Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress and Exhibition, or to register for press credentials, visit http://www.sae.org/events/cve/ .

SAE International is a global association of more than 121,000 engineers and related technical experts in the automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion(R) and the Collegiate Design Series.

CONTACT: Shawn Andreassi, SAE International, at pr@sae.org or +1-724-772-8522

SOURCE SAE International