Employee roundtable discussion

We had a roundtable discussion among our employees.
For this issue, we asked four project members involved in the development of the INTGRA* seat to gather together and speak passionately about what it was like back then.

Words marked with (*) have supplementary information at the bottom of the page.

Talk Member

• Talk Theme 01Difficulties
  Struggles to implement
• Talk Theme 02Good points
  sense of accomplishment
• Talk Theme 03Why the project was successful
• Talk Theme 04Future Outlook
  Toward the Future

The Beginning of the Project

The impetus for this project came when we at Tachi-S were having regular meetings with Honda.
We were considering the development of a certain model for North America, and we were approached by Tachi-S with an offer to provide some unique technology or some interesting proposal, including a design concept.
One of them was the GlueAnchor®*, a special design reflecting the Acura* pattern, which we proposed to Honda, which was well received, and this project was launched as an official request for development.

Talk Theme

01

Difficulties
Struggles to implement

N.Y

The fact that Tachi-S's proprietary GlueAchor® construction method could be used to reproduce inverse shapes, which is difficult to express with general SEAT external shapes, led us to make this proposal.
This method of construction uses the designed seam lines and adheres them to the grooves, making it possible to reproduce the designer's ideas even more.

Y.H

It was difficult to introduce a product that had never been mass-produced overseas.
During the preparation stage, we had regular meetings once a week with the local Tachi-S U.S. subsidiary to exchange opinions, but there were difficulties in communication and differences of opinion, and when we asked questions by e-mail, we could not confirm the answers until the next day, which was frustrating in many ways.
Since this GlueAchor® method, which uses adhesives to bond trim covers to pad grooves, is a world first, our production engineering department studied adhesives from scratch. It was also very difficult to teach the construction methods and techniques to the local members.

N.Y

The most difficult thing was to get the local engineering team in the U.S. to accept the development of this technology for mass production. There are many U.S. engineers who see new technologies as a risk, and they wonder if they will be the first to bear that risk. Many people expressed the opinion that they would be the first to bear the risk.
This was a very high hurdle to overcome in order to be accepted.

N.H

We approached Honda saying, "This is a technology unique to Tachi-S," and they understood that with Tachi-S's adhesion technology, we would have great freedom in design compared to our competitors, which led to the adoption of this development.
The sales members worked together to persuade the U.S. company to take on the challenge if the reproducibility of the design could be improved.
I think that enthusiasm was fully conveyed to the members on the U.S. side. I think the most important thing is that we were able to turn our motivation in the same direction.
And I think they also appreciated the fact that we were able to take action.
If we had continued to develop the project from our desks and documents without going to the site, I don't think the situation would have changed.
I think the part where we took that action was very good.

N.Y

We had a hard time convincing the U.S. team.
I passionately emphasized that it is not only about creating new technologies, but also about retaining know-how and other assets that can be used to add value to the company.
I convinced Honda that the technology would achieve exterior performance that exceeded their expectations, would lead to the conversion of the vehicle models to future models, and would win new business, especially in North America, where the Acura brand is located, and would provide Tachi-S with a weapon.
Technically, this was our first challenge with new materials and structures, so we struggled to derive design standards and control points through trial and error.
The most difficult thing was to improve stable quality in such a situation.

Y.H

One of the difficulties during development was understanding the characteristics of adhesive materials that we had never handled before, and determining the bonding conditions one by one by trying many patterns of bonding conditions in order to satisfy the specifications required for the sheet.
It was a patient process of repeated trial and error, but it was the time when I had the most discussions with my team members, and looking back, it was also the most enjoyable time.

N.H

The difficulty of mass production is that it does not end at the desk.
In reality, we had to go through a trial-and-error process to ensure profitability, which was accomplished by having the development members onsite work hard technically.

S.K

In any case, I think there was a lot of experimentation with different methods from what we normally do during development.

Talk Theme

02

Good points
sense of accomplishment

S.K

Regarding performance evaluation, we also wanted to satisfy the performance requirements so that all complete vehicle manufacturers could use the product.
We thought that if we could evaluate the technology from various angles and perspectives, it would be a skill that would come in handy later on.
We were able to go into the actual equipment test with all the preparations completed in advance through elemental tests and simulations, so we were able to conduct the evaluation smoothly with fewer failures, which was a good point.

N.Y

The project was carried out in collaboration with various departments, including the Prototype and Testing Department, the Component Engineering Department, and the Production Engineering Department.
The good thing was that when an error was made, we could all calmly think together about what was wrong. There was no other blame to be placed on others.
We were able to identify issues, each take measures to address them, and tune up the good ones, truly embodying the "one team" concept.
I am so glad we were able to do this.

Y.H

The equipment was prepared in Japan and shipped to the U.S. for installation, but it was impossible to actually bond the urethane and trim cover as a mass-produced machine in Japan, so we bonded the urethane and trim cover for the first time in the U.S.
When the mass-production machine took out the glued products and confirmed that there were no quality problems, I heard that Mr. H, a senior staff member, was so moved by this that he shed tears and shouted with joy with the U.S. members.
I wish I could have been there because I was on a furlough preparing for a secondment.

N.H

As a sales representative, I was happy when I started development and approached complete vehicle manufacturers, and when I received pictures of the equipment being adopted and developed and installed in the U.S., I realized that it was really going to become a reality in the future. 

S.K

Testing at the point of development was done in Japan, but this time the process was to mass-produce the product at an overseas site and test the finished product locally.
The hardest thing for me was to be asked, "How did Japan do it?
Since this was the first seat we made using the construction method, we had a hard time communicating with the local staff about testing methods, such as the testing we did during development and how we did the work, so that there would be no misunderstandings.
Acura's INTGRA* is not a car sold in Japan.
I sometimes find sheets on the Internet that are listed in articles introducing new cars on foreign websites.
I am still happy when I think that many people have come to see the product at that time.

Y.H

From a production engineering perspective, this is the world's first method of construction, so we have just come up with our own equipment from scratch.
We also incorporated the idea of human-friendly equipment by automating mold changes to speed up the setup process.
We had to put in an American brand control, which is rarely handled in Japan, and it was quite a challenge starting from the search for a control designer. We were extremely happy when the equipment we had conceived took shape and ran smoothly.

Talk Theme

03

Why the project was successful

N.H

I think there was a great sense of immediate action within the project team this time around.
The team was very good at communicating and cooperating with various departments.

N.Y

The Prototype and Testing Department , Component Engineering Department, and Production Engineering Department were willing to conduct verification at the trial stage of prototyping and prepared the necessary materials for build-up.
The atmosphere was one of a desire to create something good together, with an attitude of taking responsibility, completing the verification part, and brushing up from there.
Everyone was thinking positively. It is a good memory just before the COVID-19 infection.

S.K

With experiments, the departments that are often involved in the work are often the Product Development Department, but this time I was also involved with people in the Production Engineering Department.
Could you make the prototype in a different size?" There were quite a few exchanges like this.
Thanks to the various opportunities to talk, I think I got to know people's faces and names at once.
I felt it moving in a wide range of departments this time, so I think it was not only me but also others who felt the circle of people expanding all at once.

Y.H

Whenever there was a problem, team members would immediately gather to discuss it, whether it was a development prototype in Japan or the introduction of a mass-production machine to the U.S. for equipment preparation, and I was strongly encouraged by their strong awareness of the need to make sure the GlueAchor® construction method would succeed.
I think one of the reasons for the success of the project was that the team was able to resolve issues quickly by working as one instead of worrying about them alone.

N.Y

We received the company's President's Award for the team that completed the project that brought GlueAnchor® into mass production.
I am glad that I took on the challenge after all, and it made me realize once again that this is a company that appreciates such challenges.
I now have the motivation to try something new again.
We also heard that the product has been well received by our customers and team of comfort professionals.

Talk Theme

04

Future Outlook
Toward the Future

Y.H

We have many prospects for the future.
We believe there is still room for improvement in cost areas such as equipment and processing costs, and there are many things we would like to do, such as downsizing equipment, switching to new adhesives, and reducing the number of workers.
I would like to deepen the technology so that it becomes a technology that makes people say, "I want to use GlueAnchor® sheets in this factory too!

N.H

I would like to expand the range to include light cars and many other types of vehicles both domestically and internationally in the future.
I would like to propose such freedom of design as an added value and link it to further business.

S.K

As an experiment, I believe that when this GlueAnchor® is in the hands of many customers, there will be unexpected feedback, both good and bad.
Some users around the world use the system in ways that are unimaginable, so I think it will be necessary to consider testing methods that can respond to events as they occur.
I think it would be best if we could work to make evaluations and so on in a proactive manner based on such considerations, but that is an issue for the future.

N.Y

We are struggling to get GlueAnchor® adopted at other locations.
In the process, we would like to further develop GlueAnchor® and continue to build it to specifications that exceed the customer's requirements.

N.H

GlueAnchor® technology still has a lot of potential.
It could be design or, from a slightly different angle, recyclability.
There is potential to expand the conversation to include multifaceted approaches that were not available at the time, so I think it is important to scale up such things a bit more.
I would like to expand this technology with a view to making it a commonplace and standard technology.

Fin

*Terms
INTGRA: Name of the car The car is equipped with seats that use the "GlueAnchor®" technology, which is the main theme of this project.
Acura: Honda's performance brand name in North America.
GlueAnchor®: A unique partial bonding method for assembling trim covers and pads.It is effective in improving appearance quality, light weight, pad thinness, and seating comfort.

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