Lectra and Faurecia renew their partnership agreement

Lectra contributes to Faurecia Seating Business Group Industry 4.0 readiness and “digital enterprise” transformation initiative

The cutting process for the production of seat covers, headrests and interiors is an increasingly strategic part of Faurecia’s Seating activity. Faurecia Seating supplies vehicle complete seats, frames, mechanisms and trim covers to major carmakers worldwide, whose manufacturing processes are gradually evolving toward Industry 4.0.

Faurecia Seating aims to double the production of its existing manufacturing facilities by reinforcing operations with advanced manufacturing technologies. The company’s extended partnership with Lectra entails focusing on operational excellence initiatives across its automotive seating division.

Standardization of the Vector® fabric-cutting solution—endowed with preventive and predictive maintenance capabilities and the highest-performance cutting system available on the market to date— will be instrumental to the implementation of these initiatives throughout the division’s fabric cutting facilities. Faurecia currently has more than 60 Vector fabric cutting solutions in production worldwide.

“More than ever, we face major challenges in terms of flexibility, agility and productivity—producing more while reducing costs,” observes Hagen Wiesner, Executive Vice President, Faurecia Seating. “Our cutting processes have become strategic in reaching these goals. Faurecia’s ‘digital enterprise’ project aims to achieve operational excellence in virtually every aspect of our organization. Together with Lectra, we will make this a reality in the cutting room, with smart automation and predictive maintenance.”

“Given the profound transformations gripping manufacturing, helping our customers ready their operations for the Fourth Industrial Revolution has become without question our core mission,” remarks Daniel Harari, Lectra Chairman and CEO. “Faurecia is among the automotive suppliers at the forefront of this movement. Digital technologies and industry expertise are the business enablers that will allow manufacturers to connect inside and outside the value chain in the near future.”