Faurecia, the world’s sixth largest automotive equipment supplier, signed a three-year cooperation agreement with FAW Foundry in Changchun (China), for the development of magnesium alloy seat frames. The agreement, signed in the presence of Yann Delabrière, Chairman and CEO of Faurecia, Jean-Michel Vallin, President of Faurecia China, and Sun Feng, General Manager of FAW Foundry, marks a new milestone in Faurecia’s business and technology development in the seat frames business and with China’s FAW Group. Through this project, Faurecia expects to further cut-down the weight of automotive seats, reducing the environmental impact as well as to consolidate its leading position in automotive seating.
“The challenge of reducing emissions calls for new breakthrough innovations in the automotive industry,particularly in the field of weight reduction. Magnesium alloy seat frames potentially offer a 25% weight reduction compared with state of the art steel frames. This breakthrough development will also allow both Fa recia and FAW Foundry to be in a leading position worldwide for this promising material and its processes as it opens a potentially important market.,” said Jean-Michel Vallin, President of Faurecia China.
“We are eager to start cooperating with Faurecia, the world’s number one in automotive seat frames and mechanisms and also a long-term partner of FAW Group Corporation. We believe that this will be a win-win partnership and enable us to contribute to a greener automotive industry,” said Sun Feng, General Manager of FAW Foundry. Faurecia is a global leader in automotive seating and is #1 worldwide for seat frames and mechanisms and #3 worldwide for complete seats. FAW Foundry, Faurecia’s partner, is wholly-owned by China FAW Group Corporation and currently the largest auto casting manufacturer in China.
Technologies for vehicle weight reduction can be found across all four Faurecia activities, namely:
Automotive Seating: use of high strength steel, downsizing of mechanisms and other seating components, laser welding and composite materials;
Interior Systems: introduction and broadened use of renewable and natural materials;Emissions Control Technologies: thinner steel and new processes such as laser welding and induction brazing;
Automotive Exteriors: composite materials for body parts, semi-structural and structural parts.
Faurecia has been operating in China for almost 20 years and has developed fast within China’s booming automotive industry and considers the Chinese market a major priority. It currently employs 8,500 people, including 700 engineers, and is present in all the main automotive regions in China.
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