Case Study: Johnson Controls achieves 95% first-prototype success and dramatically faster small‑parts development with Lectra’s DesignConcept Auto

Johnson Controls, Strasbourg, Conquers the Challenges of the Cost/Quality-Driven Auto Seat Small Parts Market with Lectra’s DesignConcept Auto

Johnson Controls’ Strasbourg plant, part of Johnson Controls Automotive Experience, designs and prototypes small automotive interior parts (head restraints, armrests, bolsters) and produces about 5,000 prototypes a year. Facing the shift to in‑situ foam injection and increasingly complex, concave cover shapes, the team needed a CAD solution that guaranteed precise cover designs while accounting for volume and fabric constraints, could import customers’ files, and would let existing staff transition from manual methods without long, costly development cycles.

Working with Lectra, Strasbourg implemented DesignConcept Auto for 3D virtual prototyping, automatic pattern flattening and nesting, and fabric‑aware feasibility and cost analyses. The tool enabled faster, more accurate designs (now 100% of in‑situ parts done in DesignConcept), slashed development time from weeks to days, achieved a 95% first‑prototype cover success rate, reduced material waste, and helped rebuild strong customer credibility.

Johnson Controls

Charles Gillig

Engineering Foam Director