Key Safety Systems Celebrates 100 Years of Pioneering Safety

Key Safety Systems (KSS), which is one of the market leaders when it comes to mobility safety is celebrating its 100^th anniversary as a supplier of breakthrough automotive safety technology to customers. The company which is based in Michigan, United States will mark the anniversary with a series of events throughout the year under the “100 Years of Pioneering Safety” tagline.

The company initially took shape as Sheller Wood Rim Manufacturing Company which produced handcrafted steering wheels for Ford’s Model T, according to the company’s CEO, Jason Luo. He said that that the company retains the pioneering spirit of its original founder and now supplies safety systems for over 300 vehicle models which are made by some of the major names in the automotive industry. From a single factory in Detroit, over the past 100 years, the company has expanded to one having operations in 14 countries spread across four continents and employing 13,000 people.

One of the companies which eventually became a part of Key Safety Systems, Jim Robbins Seatbelt Company designed, patented and pioneered the production of seatbelts in the 1960s, long before they became a standard feature of passenger vehicles. Another group company, Allied Chemical made the first airbags that were installed on vehicles in the United States. In the 1990s, 11 automotive safety companies were acquired to expand the company’s reach.

In 2003, the entire group was rebranded as Key Safety Systems. The company continued on the path of innovation and expansion, entering the field of active safety technologies in 2015 with innovative autonomous driving and event protection solutions. This year, it became a part of Ningbo Joyson Electronics Corp, a global automotive supplier that is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, though Key Safety Systems continues to operate as an independent business, with its own board of directors, management team and capital structure.

From its strong base in the United States, Key Safety Systems expanded its footprint on a global basis and currently has 32 technologically advanced facilities in 14 countries, including major markets like Germany, Japan, India, China, South Korea and UK. The company has also expanded its customer base and now has supply agreements with over 60 major automotive manufacturers including Volkswagen, General Motors, BMW, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Hyundai, Isuzu, and Suzuki.

Currently, Key Safety Systems is one of the leading players in the field of passive safety systems comprising seatbelts, steering wheels and airbags. The company is growing at a fast pace with an industry-leading growth of about 20% CAGR between 2010 and 2015.  It continues to invest heavily in research and development to add to its portfolio of 900 diverse patents in automotive safety. In addition  to the automotive sector, Key Safety Systems also makes safety solutions for the aerospace, industrial and personal protection sectors.

Mr. Luo added that the company’s growth and longevity in a highly competitive and fast-evolving industry was indeed a remarkable achievement. The company was able to achieve this thanks to its longstanding experience, a strong management team and expansion of its global footprint.