Granta Design at the recent SAE 2014 World Congress launched the Automotive Materials Consortium (AutoMatlC) that will bring together OEMs and suppliers in the automotive and off-highway sectors to develop best practices for materials information and use. In specific, it will increase engineering productivity, lower costs, improve product performance, lower risk associated with materials supply and regulations on restricted substances, and make the most of investments in simulation and PLM, according to the company. AutoMatIC is modeled on two projects that have pioneered the industrial application of materials information technology: the Material Data Management Consortium (MDMC) and the Environmental Materials Information Technology (EMIT) Consortium. A strong base of technology already exists, Granta says, to manage materials information, deploy it for use, and turn it into material intelligence that can have business impact. The consortium will begin an initial three-year phase in June.