08:30 Registration & coffee

09:00 Chairman’s welcome

Meinhard Behrens
Acquisition Director, R&D Product & Process
Faurecia, Germany

09:05OEM Insight: The seat development process in Fiat Group Automobiles

• Main factors in seat design
• Description of system requirements
• Deployment of performance target at component level
• Overview of seat development process
• Commonalities and differences between vehicle applications

Salvatore Demontis
Designer Responsible Front Seat, Interiors – Seats Department
Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A., Italy

09:45OEM Insight: ECG Seat: The seat that monitors the heart activity

• Ford’s ECG monitoring seat is designed to monitor the heart activity of drivers at the wheel using advanced electrode technology
• Ford envisions driver heart telemetry linking with medical centers and Ford safety systems to provide an additional layer of security for drivers and fellow road users
• Initial testing proves the Ford ECG monitoring seat can successfully monitor 95 per cent of drivers’ hearts 98 per cent of the time – even at an early development stage

Jeroen Lem
Research Engineer, Vehicle Interior Technologies
Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen GmbH, Germany

10:25 Refreshment break and networking

10:55 Virtual Seat Engineering at Ford

• Craftsmanship
• Mechanical Comfort
• Safety
• Durability
• Thermal Comfort

Jessica Rausch
Technical Expert Biomechanics, Vehicle Interior Technologies
Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen GmbH, Germany

11:35 Consequences of using hand held devices for vehicle seat design

• What are the new used hand held devices (e.g. ipad, smart phone and laptops)?
• What are consequences for the design of seats and its environment?
• Consequences for arm support and device support
• Consequences for adjustablility and space of the seat
• Example of a seat design made for working with hand held devices
• Effects tested with end users using this seat

Prof. Dr. Peter Vink
Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

12:15 From Theory to Reality: Implementation of Trim Master Models within OEM and Tier 1 Suppliers

• The Trim Master Model moves from theory to reality with OEM and Tier 1 suppliers
• How to utilize the corporate global footprint for trim development
• The Global Common trim development process is moving to CAD
• Engaging all departments and streamlining the Trim Development Process improves efficiency
• The Trim Master Model has come of age for the automotive industry

James H. Wehrle P.E.
Automotive Engineering Specialist and Owner
WEHRL–WIND Enterprises, LLC

12:55 Networking luncheon

14:15 2nd 3rd row – The compromise between comfort package and functionality

• Cargo management
• Kinematics
• Comfort optimization
• Weight reductions
• Jit and metal synergies

Meinhard Behrens
Acquisition Director, R&D Product & Process
Faurecia, Germany

14:55 Design and comfort relevant developments in automotive seating

• Future design trends and developments for automotive seating
• Focus on customisation in connection with downsizing and the increasingly competitive markets – individualisation options for mainstream brands (like premium brands)
• Increasing expressive orientation of the interiors especially in the small segments and how this effects the different types of seats
• The importance of secondary zones for automotive seating
• Future outlook

Jörg Friedrich
Managing Director
Car Men GmbH, Germany

15:35 Refreshment break and networking

16:05 Major trends, developments and challenges in aircraft seating

• Solving the profitability/comfort trade-off
• Weight reduction through innovative design
• Comfort parameters and human factors

Dr. Holger Friehmelt
Product Manager Economy Class
Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG, Germany

16:45OEM Insight: Seat-pressure-distribution-test-rack: A new method to analyse seat comfort in the serial production

• Seat comfort - measurement methods and analysis in the development
• Comfort results in the development phase and in the serial production - two different faces
• First ideas and the prototype phase for a seat comfort test rack
• Comfort test rack in the production - problems and first results

Diplom-Physiker Peter Hillebrand
Seats Testing and Comfort, Commercial Vehicle Design
Volkswagen AG, Germany

17:20 Closing remarks of the chairman & end of conference day two