Industry 4.0: How to navigate digitization of the interior, car seat and airbag production with Lectra

Mega-trends like superior comfort and convenience, urban mobility, individualization and autonomous driving shape the industry. To remain competitive and secure their place in the value chain, Lectra provides automotive interior, car seat and airbag suppliers with integrated technology solutions that automate, streamline and accelerate product design, development and manufacturing processes to optimize production with digitization and industry 4.0.

Lectra partners with suppliers in three automotive sub-segments: seat-interior, leather and airbag business

In the short term, there is a growing trend in the car industry for greater personalization of interiors. In order to meet such demand, the leather and fabric supply chain will need to work faster and provide increasingly tailored solutions, producing custom-made leather parts on an industrial scale. Given that the materials used account for 30-40% of the vehicle's seat costs and the car’s seat account for 5% of the vehicle’s total cost, optimizing processes and improving performance in the cutting room are no longer optional.

In the medium run, the trend is towards ever more autonomous driving, where a journey simply becomes a programmed event in which the occupants use transport as an extension of their home or office. Or, alternatively, using Uber as an example, the consumer in the future just uses the car to get from place to place with no direct ownership. The next generation may be less interested in horsepower and more concerned about the actual ‘travel experience’ – where interior will have a more and more important role to play.

VersalisAuto, an integrated two-head cutting solution including a dedicated Software Suite for automotive market challenges

Lectra develops the most advanced and specialized software and cutting systems and provides associated services for automotive suppliers to overcome challenges like greater product diversity, rising raw material prices and stricter quality requirements. Streamlined workflow, greater data transparency in production, and optimized material use with reliable results and consistent quality are just some of the advantages of automated cutting solutions. A combination of state-of-the-art technology, predictive maintenance and quality control analysis reduces the risk of production stops. Especially for leather equipment manufacturing, powerful production simulation and costing programs anticipate production costs, evaluate hide consumption and determine cost-effective hide suppliers thanks to a corresponding software suite integrating.

"By anticipating change, and placing customers’ needs at the heart of its technology, Lectra has long been integrating industry 4.0 technologies, helping its customers to succeed in a fast-evolving industry," says Holger Max-Lang, Director Business Unit Automotive Central & Eastern Europe, Russia, at Lectra.

To learn more about the Digitalization and Industry 4.0 in Automotive Seat & Interior Manufacturing, read the latest whitepaper by Lectra.

To find out more about how digitalization makes your supply chain more efficient, agile, and customer-focused, please visit: https://demandmore.lectra.com or contact d.koegel@lectra.com.