Why should using your car’s connected features be any less advanced than using your mobile?

Most people probably can’t remember the last time they used a phone with a key pad – or any buttons at all for that matter. That’s because leading tech companies pushed the mobile phone industry to realize early on the importance of touch screens and great Human Machine Interface (HMI) design. In comparison, some of our cars look like antiques. Bulky buttons and knobs take up valuable storage space and diminish the overall aesthetic drivers and passengers should be able to enjoy.

As advancements in autonomous driving allow drivers to let go of the wheel, the overall automotive and, especially, the interior experience will have to evolve. Consumers will demand comfortable, convenient and functional interiors that make time spent in their car feel no different than time spent in the office or at home. In order to create this new living space, automakers will not only need to craft a relaxed and contemporary in-car atmosphere, but will also need to reduce redundant buttons and switches to make room for more practical and user-friendly technologies, in line with the user experiences of other tech-products, like tablets and smartphones. With smart surfaces, our interiors can become more user-friendly and functional – all while improving the overall cabin ambience.

Using our mobile devices has become second nature, so it is only natural that these experiences extend to our vehicles. Smart surfaces allow vehicle manufacturers to offer the most intuitive experience on a sleek and modern screen – without superfluous and bulky gadgets. Different HMI can be integrated based on the specific needs of the users or the purpose of the vehicle. Unused functions can be dimmed or disappear, only to be reactivated by proximity, gesture or voice control. The instrument panel itself can become a screen to watch movies, select music or adjust lighting and climate controls. And since every surface can serve a purpose, there is more space for storage, seating or other conveniences like tables, cup holders or trays.

The rise of shared mobility will only compound the significance of smart surfaces. Even when renting, sharing or hailing a ride, drivers want to have as comfortable of an experience as they would in their own car. This means that displays and HMIs must be intuitive. With smart surfaces, individual vehicles in shared mobility fleets can be completely customized with minimal effort so that each unique user can have the experience they already know and prefer, saving the time and energy usually spent adjusting settings and figuring out new controls.

As with our mobile phones, technology in the automotive industry is progressing rapidly, becoming more and more intelligent. While these new advancements have made our lives more convenient and comfortable, they are still rather divided along industry lines. With smart surfaces, automakers can bring the two together to make the in-car experience more seamless and functional than ever before. The evolution is taking place on two fronts: While vehicles slowly become another mobile device that offers users new experiences, vehicle interiors will transform into a customizable, second living space – both functional and emotional.

By Han Hendriks, CTO at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. Originally published on LinkedIn.

At the "China meets North Rhine Westphalia (NRW)" congress on 4 July 2018, the German newspaper Rheinische Post provided a platform for representatives from German and Chinese businesses, as well as political, economic and scientific experts. Together they discussed China's development and German-Chinese relations. As a global market leader for automotive interiors with corporate headquarters in Shanghai and its European headquarters in Neuss, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) is also an attractive employer in the NRW area.

This is the third time the "China meets NRW" congress has been held. Under the motto "Start it up", the Rheinische Post focused on the startup and foundation scene. Discussion topics included China's progressive development toward becoming a high-tech country, and the opportunities which this development opens up for German companies, especially startups. The development of the Silk Road and China's pioneering role in the field of e-mobility was also a subject which was discussed.

Gunnar Büchter, Director of Procurement Europe & South Africa for YFAI, took part in the podium discussion for the North Rhine Westphalian economic development agency NRW.Invest. Together with Petra Wassner, CEO of NRW.Invest and other industry representatives, he spoke about the latest trends in the field of Industry 4.0 and mechanical engineering.

"At YFAI we are involved with current Industry 4.0 topics and are already using cobots in pilot projects. Innovative ideas from the startup scene are therefore very interesting for us", emphasized Büchter.

In addition, Professor Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy for the state of North Rhine Westphalia as well as Feng Haiyang, the Chinese Consul General in Düsseldorf, were also invited to the congress. Consul General Feng stressed the importance of intercultural understanding as the basis for stable business relationships.

Recently, Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for YFAI, spoke at a Plug and Play Mobility Keynote in Sunnyvale, CA.

At the conference, he spoke about XiM18, YFAI’s method to develop a view on the interior of the future, YFAI’s recent research study on the Quality of Life, and explained how different ways of segmentation are important in the future, because the industry is rapidly changing.

Recently, Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for YFAI, spoke at a Plug and Play Mobility Keynote in Sunnyvale, CA.

At the conference, he spoke about XiM18, YFAI’s method to develop a view on the interior of the future, YFAI’s recent research study on the Quality of Life, and explained how different ways of segmentation are important in the future, because the industry is rapidly changing.

After introducing a video about the Quality of Life research and the XiM, he explained, “we use this to package our innovations and new technologies in a real vehicle environment. It makes a great platform to engage with our customers, our partners, as well as consumers”, and ask for feedback and input as we evolve our vision of future interiors”.

During his speech, Han also revealed insights that were learned during the Quality of Life research. “We found that today bigger is not always better, ownership is not always equated with more happiness, and more consumers find that less is more”, he said. “Especially taking advantage of having the experience instead of the ownership”.

“When our Company vision is ‘Better Life on Board’, it starts with the consumer”, said Han. “The consumer will be the ultimate judge if we’re successful in creating a better life on board”.

As a Plug and Play ecosystem member, YFAI will engage and benefit in several ways, including proof of concept tests, pilot projects and deal flow sessions with startups.

Plug and Play is the largest global innovation platform that brings together startups, investors, and corporations. They are experts in facilitating meaningful introductions, investing in startups, and bringing together key stakeholders into one world-changing network.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) received the coveted NRW.Invest Award. The award presented by the Economic Development Agency (″Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft″) of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, NRW.Invest, honors exemplary investments by international companies in NRW. Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, State Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy, was also present at the formal award ceremony.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) received the coveted NRW.Invest Award. The award presented by the Economic Development Agency (″Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft″) of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, NRW.Invest, honors exemplary investments by international companies in NRW. Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, State Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy, was also present at the formal award ceremony.

At the 14^th presentation of the NRW.Invest Awards, Minister Pinkwart presented the prestigious award to YFAI and three other international companies. During the event, Minister Pinkwart and Petra Wassner, CEO of NRW.Invest, particularly underscored the commitment of the award winners to securing jobs in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the company’s courage to tap into new business segments and provide significant impulses for innovation.

″We have always known North Rhine-Westphalia as a location that provides room for development and innovation and we are happy to invest here,” said Joseph Lee, Vice President and Deputy General Manager Europe & South Africa. ″At the beginning of the year, we opened our new innovation center in Neuss, where among other things, we are working on vehicle interiors of the future″, added Joseph Lee.  He accepted the award on behalf of YFAI during a formal ceremony in the Düsseldorf K21 Ständehaus.

In addition to the new innovation center, whose core focus is on industrial design, consumer and market research, ″user experience″, as well as product and process innovation, additional investments in the Neuss location were also showcased. A short video was shown during an evening presentation featuring YFAI’s European headquarters. The Neuss location has approximately 600 employees who are distributed between the main building, the airbag test center, the prototype construction department and the innovation center.

In April of this year, representatives of the Economic Development Agency and its Greater China Service Center visited YFAI’s European headquarters in Neuss. Accompanied by Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer at YFAI, their visit included a tour of the innovation center, where they obtained information about the company and the location.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the world leader in automotive interiors, has received certification as a Top Employer 2018 for its good working conditions and HR management. The independent Top Employers’ Institute based in the Netherlands reviewed the automotive supplier’s HR processes and in particular its talent strategy. The award also approved of the company’s management development.

The global automotive supplier received the desirable seal of approval for its German locations. These include the European headquarters in Neuss and the two plants at Lüneburg and Neustadt. This is not the first award in the young company’s history. In the previous two years the Top Employers’ Institute in Shanghai also gave YFAI an award as one of the best Chinese employers of the year. The company’s locations in the US and Slovakia also received awards at the same time as Germany.

“Our company was established in July 2015 and have since been working continuously to involve our employees and their ideas in order to create an ideal working environment,” said Roger Schneider, Human Resources Director Europe & South Africa for Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. “We are delighted to have received this award for Germany too and see it as an incentive to continue working on our reputation as an outstanding employer.” In Germany the company employs 2,400 people of approximately 9,000 in Europe.

Steffen Neefe, Country Manager DACH at the Top Employers’ Institute, declared: “Our analysis shows that Yanfeng Automotive Interiors offers good conditions for the employees and it also supports and promotes the talent at all organizational levels. Yanfeng Automotive Interiors therefore confirms its fundamental commitment to sustainable and competitive HR management.”

The key element of the Top Employers’ certification program: all participating companies go through a common analysis process and must meet high requirements in different categories. These include talent strategy, HR planning, onboarding, training and development, performance management, management development, career and succession planning, compensation and benefits as well as corporate culture. The responses and documents are finally checked by an independent organization.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) recognized the outstanding performance of its European suppliers with the European Supplier Award. A total of 15 suppliers yesterday received awards in various categories at YFAI’s European headquarters in Neuss.

YFAI awards the prize for its European suppliers in six categories to companies from the plastics, resins, chemicals, foams, trim, and metal components industries. The categories the suppliers were rated on were quality, cost, customer satisfaction, development, technology and innovation, as well as service. Depending on the total number of points achieved, the companies were presented with a “Supplier of the Year,” “Distinguished Supplier” or “Supplier Excellence” award in various categories.

“Our annual award recognizes the outstanding performance of our best partners”, said James Bos, Vice President Global Procurement for YFAI. “Our suppliers play an important role in our success. Therefore we want to recognize their performance with these awards.”

BASF from Germany, a leading supplier of primary components, systems, and specialties made from polyurethane for the global market, is delighted to have been awarded “Supplier of the Year” for the second time in succession.

The “Distinguished Supplier” Award went to five international suppliers: Beaulieu Fibres International from Belgium, SFS Group Austria GmbH from Austria, and Mürdter Metall- und Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH from Germany, as well as the two Chinese companies Everwill Industrial Ltd. and Xin Point Corporation.

Nine suppliers received the “Supplier Excellence” Award for technological innovation, service, quality, and customer satisfaction. Polyvlies Franz Beyer GmbH is a German company that is pleased with the recognition of its performance through the Technology Innovation Award. The fiber mat supplier from North Rhine-Westphalia has over 160 years of experience in the textile industry and alongside the innovation team at YFAI developed glass fibers and visible natural fibers for use in door panels. “For us this fantastic recognition of our work is also an incentive to do even better,” explained Ludger Löbbers, Managing Director at Polyvlies.

One Chinese company, Sunway Automotive Industry Co., Ltd., and three German companies received awards in the “Service” category. They include Polydesign Systems, Halung GmbH & Co. KG, and Müller-Technik GmbH. The “Supplier Excellence” Award in the “Quality” category went to Czech manufacturer Mürdter Dvořák, lisovna, spol. s r.o., while two German companies, ISO Flock GmbH and ETG Elastomer Technik Gedern GmbH, along with Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z o.o. from Poland, received the award in the “Customer Satisfaction” category.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the global leader in automotive interiors, today opened a new innovation center at the Neuss location. The space will house approximately 40 employees working on different disciplines relating to the vehicle interior of the future in this more than 2,550 square meter location.

Forty of the total 600 YFAI employees in Neuss have moved. The objective of the new innovation center, which is located close to the site of the European headquarters, is to bring together all of the different functions of the innovation team under one roof. These include consumer and market research, as well as industrial design, product and process innovation, and user experience. In addition to the traditional interiors business of door panels, floor consoles, and instrument panels, the company is also focused on the interior of the future, which is increasingly characterized by the use of new, innovative materials and technologies. These include, for example, functional, smart, or adaptive interior surfaces that enable a new style, user experience, and interior function.

“We aspire to actively design the mobility of tomorrow, which is characterized by such global mega-trends as autonomous driving, electromobility, and car-sharing, as well as new players and technologies, rather than simply responding to significant changes in the automotive industry,” said Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer for YFAI. “With the new location we want to give our multi-disciplinary teams more space and also ensure improved cooperation.”

The new building offers the company’s creative teams room to stretch out and supports transparent and efficient working. It includes a new, spacious showroom for product innovations and the company’s concept cars.

In total, the Yanfeng Automotive Interiors innovation team has approximately 150 employees working globally in four innovation centers. In addition to Neuss, they are also found in Shanghai (China), Holland (Michigan, USA), and Sunnyvale (California) which is located in Silicon Valley.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) today opened a new innovation center at the Neuss location. The space will house approximately 40 employees working on different disciplines relating to the vehicle interior of the future in this more than 2,550 square meter location.

Forty of the total 600 YFAI employees in Neuss have moved. The objective of the new innovation center, which is located close to the site of the European headquarters, is to bring together all of the different functions of the innovation team under one roof. These include consumer and market research, as well as industrial design, product and process innovation, and user experience. In addition to the traditional interiors business of door panels, floor consoles, and instrument panels, the company is also focused on the interior of the future, which is increasingly characterized by the use of new, innovative materials and technologies. These include, for example, functional, smart, or adaptive interior surfaces that enable a new style, user experience, and interior function.

“We aspire to actively design the mobility of tomorrow, which is characterized by such global mega-trends as autonomous driving, electromobility, and car-sharing, as well as new players and technologies, rather than simply responding to significant changes in the automotive industry,” said Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer for YFAI. “With the new location we want to give our multi-disciplinary teams more space and also ensure improved cooperation.”

The new building offers the company’s creative teams room to stretch out and supports transparent and efficient working. It includes a new, spacious showroom for product innovations and the company’s concept cars.

In total, the Yanfeng Automotive Interiors innovation team has approximately 150 employees working globally in four innovation centers. In addition to Neuss, they are also found in Shanghai (China), Holland (Michigan, USA), and Sunnyvale (California) which is located in Silicon Valley.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the global leader in automotive interior solutions, celebrates the opening of its new production plant in South Bohemia.
Together with high-ranking officials and industry representatives, the state-of-the-art production facilities in Planá nad Lužnicí were unveiled today. As a new employer in the region, the company is looking to recruit up to 500 new employees over the next few years. ​

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors opens new production plant in the Czech Republic.

"As the market leader in global automotive interiors, we have very strong business growth now and in the future. We decided to further invest in our European locations and our manufacturing network in the Czech Republic.
We are pleased to celebrate the grand opening of our new plant in Planá nad Lužnicí today,” said Johannes Roters, Chief Executive Officer for YFAI.

The new production plant in South Bohemia is established in Planá nad Lužnicí – near to Tabor. With its high-tech manufacturing equipment and operational expertise, the plant will produce instrument panels and door panels for passenger cars. “With Planá nad Lužnicí we have set up additional capacity to our existing production network with state-of-the-art technology in Eastern Central Europe. We will now gradually start to ramp up production and will be able to robustly start operations and mass production by early 2018,” said Jochen Heier, Vice President & General Manager Europe & South Africa for YFAI.
During today’s opening celebration and ribbon-cutting event, YFAI’s global management was joined by Czech political and public stakeholders and automotive industry representatives.

The Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and guest of honor,
H.E. Mrs MA Keqing, stated in her speech, “Successful business relations depend on a variety of economic and political factors. We appreciate the stable relations between the Czech Republic and the People’s Republic of China, which allows companies to expand and grow, combining the best of both countries.”

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the global leader in automotive interiors, will showcase process-optimized interior technologies at the IAA 2017. Megatrends such as sustainability, personalization and the defining spirit of future mobility requirements are reflected in the premium lightweight solutions. By combining visible natural fiber decor with modern design, YFAI is creating an interior decorative trend.

Megatrends such as individualization, shifting values, technical and scientific progress, scarcity of resources and climate change are having a particular effect on developments in the automotive industry as well. The trend towards lightweight construction is still proving a driver of process and product innovation in automotive engineering in 2017.

As we move towards autonomous driving, the vehicle interior is becoming the next living space. This makes an attractive finish with surfaces made of sustainable materials more relevant than ever. YFAI has developed a technology that makes visible natural fibers an attractive choice: Customized or tasteful decorative surfaces of visible natural fibers for door panels that offer a great deal of flexibility in the design process. There are no limits in series production to the degree of personalization and differentiation, with the automaker free to select the lightweight natural fiber surfaces of its choice.

“Natural fibers have been used in the automotive sector since the car was invented. Nowadays, the combination of lightweight construction and reduced complexity, individualization and shifting values is giving a fresh boost to the use of visible natural fibers. With these innovative surfaces, you also get the visible quality of the fiber finish, the visual impression of the design and a pleasurable feel when you run your hand across them. We are creating the next living space — an all-round feel-good interior,” said Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer for YFAI. The use of renewable and natural raw materials as a sustainable alternative to plastics is fully in step with what the young generation in particular is looking for. YFAI is presenting the recyclable, artistically styled, natural fiber center sections of the door panel in both a natural look and trendy designs.

Shifting values: Individualization, electric mobility and shared mobility

“We are experiencing a shift in values towards greater personalization and individualization,” explained Han Hendriks. YFAI is working closely with an institute for psychological market research, which regularly analyzes trends among future generations of motorists. “By using alternative forms of mobility in particular, such as car sharing and electric cars, drivers want to help protect the environment as a whole while still feeling hip and secure,” said Hendriks, in reference to a recent consumer study. YFAI has incorporated these insights into the values of future mobility customers into its development of the visible natural fibers.

European debut: CHyM Eco-Lite now as an instrument panel

The decision falls to the manufacturers and consumers: For those who find unadulterated natural fiber paneling without a skin too progressive a surface, CHyM Eco-Lite from YFAI is a lightweight wrapping solution. CHyM (compression hybrid molding) is based on a lightweight support structure which replaces the plastic substrate with a lightweight natural fiber mat, lowering the weight of the support structure alone by 20 percent compared with conventional parts. YFAI will present an instrument panel manufactured entirely using the CHyM process for the first time at the IAA 2017. Around half of the material used consists of renewable fibers, such as hemp, flax and kenaf.

The XiM18 concept vehicle as a CHyM scale model

CHyM technology can reduce the weight in door panels by around 40 percent and the mass in instrument panels by another 20 percent. Other panels, such as the side panels of the center console, could also conceivably be produced as lightweight elements using the CHyM process. YFAI will showcase a scale model of the “eXperience in Motion” (XiM18) at the IAA, illustrating the weight savings theoretically achievable in a compact crossover when CHyM is used for all suitable parts. This design approach can reduce the weight in the vehicle interior by over three kilograms.

The XiM18 concept with CHyM Eco-Lite is presented to a professional audience during the YFAI press conference on September 13, 2017. YFAI gives the visible, natural fiber surfaces their European debut in various door panels at its booth in Hall 5.1, B26..

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