The History of TS TECH

From Producing Work Uniforms to Manufacturing Seats for Motorcycles and Automobiles

TS TECH’s predecessor, Teito Fuhaku Kogyo Corporation, manufactured work uniforms for Honda, who recognized the quality of our sewing technology and asked us to begin manufacturing motorcycle seats. Honda’s Super Cub scooter became a runaway hit and our production system expanded. We then began to manufacture lightweight seats for racing motorcycles, developing technologies early on to make seats lighter.

We later made seats for the Honda T360 pickup truck, which marked the start of TS TECH’s full-edged manufacture of seats for automobiles. From then on, the scale of our operations grew steadily.

Early Establishment of a Manufacturing Base in North America

TS TECH first expanded its business outside of Japan in 1977, setting up a production subsidiary in Nebraska, U.S.A. to manufacture motorcycle seats locally for Kawasaki.

We later began production for Honda. A series of orders for automobile seats and leisure vehicle seats came in from American automakers, and the scale of local production was expanded. Today, the Group has production centers in Japan, the Americas, Europe, China, and other parts of Asia.

Seat Arrangements Created Using Structural Design Technology

The 1990s saw a minivan boom. The interior was seen as a space to enjoy spending one’s time, generating demand for more comfortable seats. We then began a multi-pronged pursuit of comfort. One result of this pursuit was seat arrangement technology. We employed structural design technologies and a wealth of expertise to develop arrangements with various kinds of usability. TS TECH’s designs have earned a solid reputation among European automakers, who have long been leaders in the industry.

The Relentless Quest for Weight Reduction: The Honda (Acura) NSX Aluminum Seat Frame

Honda’s top-of-the-line sports car, the (Acura) NSX, debuted in 1990. Making the car lighter was essential to achieving its phenomenal performance. We worked to develop a seat frame that only used aluminum instead of steel, the conventional material used for seats. We experimented with processing methods, rustproofing technologies, and more. Our wealth of technical expertise resulted in seats that greatly reduced the weight of the vehicle. The same technology was utilized for the newest NSX seats to develop a frame that blends aluminum with cutting-edge materials.

Aiming for Incomparable Quality and Achieving World-Class Quality

In order to compete alongside the world’s mega-suppliers, in the early 2000s, TS TECH first set its goal of achieving world-class quality. Under the slogan at the time, “Incomparable Quality,” we set out to not only improve production efficiency and quality through the installation of facilities such as jig lines but also to change people’s way of thinking about manufacturing. More recently, TS TECH has been a highly ranked supplier by vehicle size class in a seat quality and satisfaction survey conducted by an American research firm.

Safety Evaluation Technology Obtained through High-Performance Dynamic Sled Testing

In 2004, TS TECH introduced a new cutting-edge dynamic sled testing facility to reliably reproduce car crash impacts. The facility was the first of its kind in Japan. Over 1,000 tests are conducted annually, and the safety assessment technologies have led to TS TECH’s seats receiving top-class safety assessments from vehicle safety assessment organizations around the world.

More Electrical Devices for More Comfortable, Safer Seats

Seats used to be simple, consisting mainly of a frame and cushion with leather covering. They have since evolved, and today many electrical devices are built into seats to add greater safety, comfort, and appeal. TS TECH has a department dedicated to the research and development of electrical devices. The department is a self-contained entity, handling everything from proposals of new features to control settings and system verification.

Creating New Value for Seating by Fusing the IoT with Sensing Technology

Sensing technology, which uses sensors attached to seating to obtain a range of biometric data, has evolved significantly in recent years. TS TECH is working on the development of seat systems that are not bound by conventional thinking, including a system that automatically adjusts the seat position and firmness according to the passenger’s physique to provide comfortable seating, and a system that senses passenger movements to enable anyone to enjoy sports while seated.