At the United Motorcoach Association Expo in Las Vegas, American Seating, in partnership with SafeGuard, a brand of IMMI, announced that the IMMI Premier engineering team has been selected by SAE International to receive the 2009 SAE Henry Ford II Distinguished Award for Excellence in Automotive Engineering.

This honor recognizes the team’s accomplishments in increasing safety on motorcoaches with the development of the PREMIER seat, which incorporates SafeGuard SmartFrame technology to protect both belted and unbelted occupants.

The Henry Ford II Award recognizes individuals who use their engineering skills to achieve product or manufacturing process contributions which are assessed to have had the greatest positive effect on the passenger car, truck or bus industries. Established in 1988, this award is funded through Ford Motor Company and honors the memory of Henry Ford II and the enormous impact he had on the automotive industry.

“The Henry Ford recognition gives us another opportunity to tell our SmartFrame story in the motorcoach industry and to a worldwide audience,” stated James Johnson, director of sales for IMMI. “It’s a great honor to be recognized by prestigious organizations such as SAE International and the Henry Ford Award Board.”

Dave McLaughlin, vice president of transportation sales for American Seating, said the award brings recognition to a technology that truly distinguishes PREMIER. “More than a year ago, American Seating combined its transportation seating experience with the safety expertise of SafeGuard,” McLaughlin said. “As the federal government prepares to regulate seat belts on motorcoaches, we are poised to offer the industry the highest level of safety in belted motorcoach seating.”