Auto engineers find times have changed

DETROIT, April 11 (UPI) -- An annual conference for automotive industry engineers illustrates a robust turnaround for U.S. automakers, observers said.

After a prolonged slump followed by a painful recession marked by bankruptcy filings by General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC, suddenly the Society for Automotive Engineers World Congress 2011, which opens in Detroit Tuesday, expects a large jump in exhibitors and technical papers, The Detroit News reported Monday.

In addition, the conference will feature a much larger job fair.

Last year's event included 17 companies participating in a jobs fair. This year, 35 companies have signed up, the newspaper said.

Suddenly, "the industry needs more talented people to build the next generation of vehicles," said David Cole, chairman emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.

"This is a serious issue, and we need to find more talented people and convince more young people to go into auto engineering," he said.

The event will include 147 exhibitors, 44 more than a year ago, and feature presentation of 1,255 technical papers, compared to 1,101 presented in 2010.

This year's theme is also a sign of things to come. The conference is called "Charging Forward Together," as a reference to electric power for vehicles.

"Advanced propulsion is a big focus of this year's event," said Patti Kreh, the engineering society's business unit leader for conferences.