
Doors & Closures in Car Body Engineering 2025
Doors and Closures remain crucial, very unique elements in automobile development, due to their large outer surface area and the consequent impact on a car’s appearance, to their immediate sensual (haptic and acoustic) relevance for the customer’s vehicle experience, to their multitude of integrated, tightly packed functionalities, and, not least, to their high crash safety relevance.
With all that, hang-on part development also needs to respond to significant challenges:
All these and further questions will be addressed at Automotive Circle’s Doors and Closures in Car Body Engineering 2025 conference, again gathering its leading international network of specialist engineers in Bad Nauheim (Germany) on November 18-19, 2025, to exchange views on latest innovations and trends in modern hang-on part development and production.
Don’t miss any updates by following our hashtag: #ACDoorsandClosures
We are looking forward to your participation and to meeting you in Bad Nauheim!
Our conference highlights:
Doors & Closures Systems Award
You are part of the jury! This award is bestowed by the Automotive Circle for the most convincing series OEM hang-on part development.
Accompanying Exhibition
Benefit from the exhibition on site, where topic-specific products and services will be displayed!
Technology Clinic
The audience is invited to benchmark the door opening and closing performances for a selection of current vehicles brought to the conference location.
Meet the Speakers
During the breaks, the speakers will be available for individual questions and further discussions.
Conference Agenda
9.00 am | Welcome and conference introduction | Dr. Dirk Meine, Automotive Circle, DE |
Getting Access |
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9.30 am | Access made effortless: redefining the digital car experience | Sebastian Stücker, Huf Hülsbeck & Fürst GmbH & Co. KG, DE |
10.00 am | Innovative architecture for next generation vehicle access | Carlo Mutti, Nico Doronzo, Kiekert AG, CH |
10.30 am | New generation of smart and safe vehicle access | Reinaldo Mensch, Witte Automotive GmbH, DE; Christian Rucha, HQ-Europe GmbH, DE |
11.00 am |
Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts |
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OEM projects – Doors and Closures Systems Award competition |
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11.45 am | New DS N°8 Closures – Technical presentation followed by plenary dicussion at the hardware exhibit – |
Olivier Pauvert, Stellantis NV, FR |
12.45 pm |
Exhibition / Lunch Break |
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2.00 pm | Doors and Closures of the new Li i8 – Technical presentation followed by plenary dicussion at the hardware exhibit – |
tba, Shanghai Lixiang Automobile Co., Ltd., CN |
3.00 pm | IONIQ 9 closure systems – Technical presentation followed by plenary dicussion at the hardware exhibit – |
Sangjin Lee, Daeyoung Choi, Hyundai Motors, KR |
4.00 pm |
Exhibition / Coffee & Contacts |
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4.45 pm | Doors and Closures of the Neue Klasse iX3 – Technical presentation followed by plenary dicussion at the hardware exhibit – |
Christian Markowski, Michael Pangerl, BMW Group, DE |
6.00 pm |
Get-Together / Exhibition |
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7.00 pm |
Networking Dinner |
Keynote |
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8.00 am | Accessing the future: How AI is redefining doors and closures | Dr. Mario Herger, Enterprise Garage Consultancy, US |
Improving Accuracy |
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9.00 am | Monte Carlo simulation integration into Six Sigma: a quantitative framework for uncertainty management | Kerem Sezer, Ford Otosan A.S., TR |
9.30 am | Best practice: patented, flexible straightening system for tailgates | Philipp Hettich, Laubinger & Rickmann GmbH, DE |
10.00 am |
Meet the Speaker / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts |
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Sealing and Lubrication Innovations |
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10.45 am | Innovating automotive sealing foam with sustainable UV curing technology | Philip Johnson, Sunstar Engineering Europe GmbH, DE |
11.15 am | Advanced lubricants for doors & closures – enhancing durability, comfort and functionality | Andreas Krüger, Fuchs Lubricants Germany GmbH, DE |
DOORS AND CLOSURES SYSTEMS AWARD 2025 |
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11.45 am | Disclosure of the results of the awards competition and bestowal of the award | |
Technology Clinic |
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12.00 pm | The audience is invited to experience and benchmark hands-on 1) frunk solutions 2) the charging process of a selection of current BEV exhibited on the conference site. |
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1.00 pm |
Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Lunch break |
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Advancing Testing Methods |
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2.15 pm | Inhouse KLT Mechanism Development | Hande Bezci Zeren, Ford Otosan A.S., TR |
2.45 pm | Assessment of exposed aluminum surface undulations using non-destructive quantitative metrics | Adam Hodges, General Motors Company, US |
OEM conclusions | ||
3.15 pm | Members of the Advisory Board on their conference summary and future outlook of Doors and Closures development and production | |
3.30 pm | Farewell address and end of the conference |
All times in UTC+1
Program is subject to change.
Status as of: September 4, 2025
Participants
International OEM Advisory Board
Stephan Gülich
Audi AG
Reinhard Peis
BMW Group
Ray Gillis
Ford
Kazutaka Imamura
Honda R&D Co., Ltd.
Stephane Ringenbach
Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center GmbH
Kevin Welch
Jaguar Land Rover Ltd.
Jie Zhou
Li Auto
Fumio Tejima
Nissan Motors Co., Ltd.
Hengru Guo
Pan Asia Techn. Automotive Center
Thierry Ginestet
Groupe Renault
Petr Simon
Skoda Auto a.s.
Martin Schumilas
Stellantis
Eraldo Pignata
Stellantis
Tyler Morgan
Stellantis
Olaf Kühn
Volkswagen AG
Become a sponsor or exhibitor
Take advantage of the high coverage of the Automotive Circle and profit from the sponsoring options before and during the events. Show your competence and services, matching the conference subjects, to the numerous car body engineers of international OEM. Thus, you are strengthening your brand awareness in the automotive industry!
Come on board as an exhibitor or sponsor and benefit from this excellent platform to strongly promote your company’s capabilities as a reliable supplier!
Detailed information for various exibition and sponsoring options will follow here soon!
Your contact for exhibition & sponsoring:
If you have any question or want to request additional information on exhibition & sponsoring options, please contact
Ms. Frauke Haentsch
Director Sales