Lear Takes Seating to the Next level with New Center for Craftsmanship

Lear Corporation is one of the key players in the industry when it comes to automotive seating and electrical systems. The company has set up Crafted by Lear in Michigan, United States. At the new facility, a dedicated team will work on advanced development solutions to create differentiated design for next generation seating.

Crafted by Lear has been established with the purpose of working closely with automotive manufacturers from the beginning of the design process to develop imaginative seat designs for production models. Crafted by Lear will have a new Center for Craftsmanship, a dynamic studio staffed by world-class engineering and design professionals who have longstanding experience in the design of automotive seating systems. Lear’s experts will develop solutions that align well with the design vision of automotive manufacturers by leveraging Lear’s unique combination of global manufacturing network, complete seat system level expertise, and years of experience with premium OEM customers.

Speaking about the importance of automotive seats, Raymond E. Scott, Lear executive vice president and president of Lear Seating said that car buyers are becoming increasingly selective about interiors. The nature and design of the car seats play a large role in the overall appearance, quality and comfort of interiors. He added that Lear’s premium service can help automotive customers to achieve the best solutions when it comes to seating systems.

In this year, Crafted by Lear is in a pilot phase and will be focusing on three premium OEM projects that will launch between 2019-2021. He added that the studio’s service will not be limited to only high-end models but will cover the full range of cars, SUVs, CUVs and trucks.

Generally, automotive manufacturers opt for seats that have been already designed and then modify them to suit their brand before proceeding with full production. Crafted by Lear heralds a new approach and encourages OEMs to partner with Lear early in the design process to spur innovation and to ensure that their design vision is fully expressed at the onset of a program.

Lear’s craftsmanship process also has a proprietary element named “Harmonic Precision,” that is initiated  in the Center for Craftsmanship studio and monitors the program’s performance right through to production to ensure that the execution is flawless. Harmonic Precision leverages Lear’s full range of seating capabilities and the “X-Factor,” which scores seat designs based on differentiation such as “wow” features and innovations.