Seating Trim Cover

Redefining the way textiles are manufactured

Johnson Controls is working with leading sportswear manufacturer adidas Group and other partners to redefine the way textiles are manufactured.

The partners want to increase automation in the production of textiles. In doing so, Johnson Controls, as the leading manufacturer of vehicle seats and seating components, intends to optimize seating trim cover production.

“Process innovations are just as important to Johnson Controls as product innovations,” said Andreas Eppinger, group vice president technology management for Johnson Controls Automotive Seating. “The majority of sewing required for vehicle seat covers is largely done by hand. Although increasing automation in this area is very complex, we are convinced that it is feasible.”

SPEEDFACTORY, as the project is known, aims to combine the capabilities of both humans and machines. At the project’s conclusion, the prototype of a system should be in place in which humans and robots work together to produce textile products.