Lectra helps Freedman Seating meet growing demand for seating products
Lectra, a world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, is pleased to announce that Chicago-based Freedman Seating, a vehicle seat manufacturer, has chosen Lectra to expand its production capacity so as to meet the growing demand for upholstered seating products.
The US seat manufacturer will double its production capacity with Lectra’s software and cutting solutions for plain and patterned fabric Freedman Seating manufactures seats and seating-related products for a variety of transportation means, including buses, trains, boats, delivery trucks, specialty and commercial vehicles. Consistent growth and expansion have earned the family-owned company recognition as the leading manufacturer of transportation seating solutions in the US. A Lectra customer for more than 20 years, Freedman Seating has created 240 jobs since 2011 and today employs close to 750 people.“Our business is growing rapidly, and our production needs to keep pace with that growth,” explains Craig Freedman, President, Freedman Seating. “We would have trusted no one else other than Lectra to help us deliver high-quality, well-matched transportation upholstery fast.” Lectra worked closely with Freedman Seating to understand the company’s needs before recommending a solution. Lectra experts visited the manufacturing facility to assess customer requirements, existing production processes, and working methods. Freedman Seating was already equipped with one Vector®, Lectra’s fabric cutting solution. This study enabled Lectra to recommend a solution combining a second Vector cutter and Mosaic software. Mosaic automatically compensates for any distortion and adjusts the cutting path, ensuring that patterned pieces match perfectly when assembled. This saves time and gives manufacturers the flexibility to better manage the diversity of patterned fabrics.
“Over the years, we have developed a deep understanding of our customer’s business, and that experience has made us a reliable, trusted business partner,” says Jason Adams, President, Lectra North America. “The resulting solution of two Vector cutters, coupled with Mosaic, not only doubles Freedman Seating’s production capacity, but it also gives the company the ability to scale its cutting room as demand continues to increase.”
