CFS satisfies needs of major auto supplier with foam headrests

A major auto supplier got the right solution from CFS.

To cement its status as the leading industrial foam producer in the continent, Custom Foam Systems Ltd. (CFS) has logged an impressive history of success stories. For example, CFS worked with a supplier for a major automobile manufacturer, which required 90,000 foam headrests per year for five years for a popular vehicle.

As it always does, the CFS team put all of its efforts into developing the ideal solution for this Tier 1 supplier.

Customized returnable packaging system

Due to its geometric shape, the auto company’s initial design for the foam headrests was almost impossible for CFS to make consistently. The key challenge would be to convince the manufacturer to compromise on the design of a highly visible interior component. CFS’ Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) team also had to produce quantities of three colours for weekly delivery.

Other requirements of the project: meeting a strict level of Class A surface finish and highly cosmetic parting lines, including two through-hole windows; encapsulating a steel wire fabrication for structural support; and creating a customized returnable packaging system that could not be collapsed.

The auto company approved the design concessions, and the APQP team developed a newly formulated green foam system to meet the project’s unique challenges – like tight specifications for compression and density to meet crash-test requirements, world-class manufacturing cycle times and efficiency, and meeting specifications for comfort, surface durability, damage and stain resistance, antimicrobial standards, UV resistance, and cosmetic appearance.

The first of the CNC-machined steel moulds was delivered within six weeks. Everything was working out – until the team found and oversight regarding crash-worthiness. But the team forged ahead and created a new manufacturing cell on time. Start-up stayed under control through the company’s constant improvement processes and lean production practices. With CFS’ hourly reporting process of tracking cycles, solving problems, and addressing anomalies, all issues remained at a controlled minimum.

The client received all of the 450,000 CFS headrests it had ordered over five years, all produced exactly according to the specifications. The auto company never rejected or returned a single one.

To learn more, contact CFS.

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