Johnson Controls said it has developed vehicle seat structures which are 40 per cent lighter than conventionally manufactured seat structures and equally as safe.

Johnson has done so, by reducing use of metals in vehicle seat structures by replacing them with multi-material systems in its CAMISMA (carbon-amide-metal-based interior structure using a multi-material system approach) research project.

For this cutting-edge work, Johnson Controls received this year's CLEPA (European Association of Automotive Suppliers) Innovation Award in the ‘Green’ category.

With CAMISMA, its goal was to create cost-efficient, sustainable access to carbon fibre based materials systems.

This was achieved by an innovative industrial manufacturing process for volume production with about 200,000 units per production line.

This allowed Johnson for the first time, the highly concentrated and efficient use of carbon fibre, while at the same time meeting all safety requirements.

The results of an initial rear-impact crash test demonstrated that the CAMISMA seat prototype satisfied all of the strength requirements of current seats built with a metal structure in large-scale series production.

“In addition to significant weight savings, CAMISMA reduces manufacturing steps required in assembly, through the number of attachment parts needed, which also saves cost,” Johnson said.

Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries.

Its 170,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings, automotive batteries and interior systems for automobiles.

Johnson Controls is a leader in automotive seating, overhead systems, floor consoles, door panels and instrument panels.

It supports all major automakers in the differentiation of their vehicles through its products, technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities. (AR)