Yanfeng expands its Technical Center in Slovakia

Trenčín, Slovakia – 20 July 2023. Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, has recently expanded its research and development activities in Europe. The new equipment is part of its Technical Center in Trenčín, Slovakia, and focuses on the company’s Safety Systems business. It complements the existing interiors product portfolio and testing capabilities at the site. With this investment in new equipment and technologies, Yanfeng extends its passive safety component development and testing capabilites outside of China.

The 7,600 square meters of the Center includes the newly constructed area for the Safety Systems testing and provides ample space for the 180 employees in Trenčín. Most of the new test equipment is for steering wheels and airbag module testing.

“Airbag modules and steering wheels are crucial for driver and passenger safety. This applies both to airbags, which only work once, as well as steering wheels, which must function continuously every day,” explained Ivan Kebísek, Engineering Director and Site Leader of the Yanfeng Technical Center in Trenčín. “This means that our products must fulfill the highest quality standards and work perfectly.” ​
​For this reason, Yanfeng is committed to a Zero-Defect Culture to ensure that each passive safety product performs perfectly, every time.

“Yanfeng is the only automotive supplier that offers in-house passive safety solutions and interior integration from a single source,” said Francois Stouvenot, CEO EMEA and NA at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. “With our extensive expertise in interiors, seating, and passive safety, we are able to develop holistic interior solutions with seamlessly integrated safety systems.”

The company’s safety technology ranges from a smart steering wheel, that warns drivers through visual signals or vibrations if they unexpectedly stray from their lane, to seating systems with automatic seat belt tightening, restraint systems and airbags.

A global Engineering network to better serve the customers ​
​Over the past few years, Yanfeng has been increasing its development and testing capabilities for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in Trenčín. Since 2017 the company has invested continuously in additional testing equipment in line with its One Yanfeng strategy. The Trenčín Technical Center is one of two major European research and development sites in Yanfeng’s global engineering network. It supports the Tech Center at the company’s European Headquarters in Neuss, Germany, with environmental, functional, durability and material tests for automotive interior components and products, including instrument panels, cockpits, door panels and floor consoles. The testing has recently been extended to include the passive safety portfolio.
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​“The Technical Center in Trenčín is one of 12 locations in our global engineering network, and it has a vital role in our research and development activities,” said Francois Stouvenot. “The investment in this new safety test equipment enables us to enhance our capabilities and further support our customers locally.”

Dust from the Arizona desert is used in Yanfeng’s Test Center ​
​What does Arizona have to do to with the Test Center in Trenčín? To ensure that safety products will perform under all climate conditions, the company tests its airbag modules in a special machine. The dust test is performed with a special dust from the Arizona desert over a period of five hours and serves to ensure that the functionality of the airbag module remains intact.

The dust tester is part of the environmental test sequence for airbag modules. ​
​The company has also invested in a mechanical shock test station as well as a drop tester, inflator deployment test machine, additional climate chamber and a salt spray chamber. All airbag modules must go through all test stations and pass all tests. A new temperature shock tester and robot test system have also been installed.

State-of-the-art equipment allows comprehensive testing of safety components
​With investments of 2.5 million Euro, the state-of-the-art equipment enables comprehensive testing of safety components, in addition to the existing testing of automotive interior components. With all chambers and high-end technical devices, component performance testing can be conducted for safety, durability, environmental effects, vibration, appearance, material and emissions. Extreme conditions with temperatures ranging from -40°C to +120°C, climate variation cabinets, UV-light resistance and weathering tests, sun simulation and aging tests can be used to ensure that the components produced by YF meet the most stringent requirements. The testing capabilities in Trenčín include a test lab for airbag systems for Interiors, 3D surface scanning, motorized scratch testing, as well as odor testing. The departments at the Trenčín Technical Center include product development, benchmarking, engineering systems and subject matter technical experts (SMTE). The company also conducts environmental compliance analyzes and product carbon footprint calculations, where the company performs lifecycle assessments of all products – starting from the raw material to the end of life including recycling.
​With this wide range of testing capabilities, the Technical Center in Trenčín supports the company’s growth plans in the European region.

In addition to its technical center in Trenčín, YF operates a plant in Námestovo, Slovakia, which manufactures door panels, floor consoles and other automotive interior components. The company also has an Automotive Business Center in Bratislava, which provides Finance, IT, Purchasing, Sales, Human Resources and Program Management support. With the existing production sites in Pápa (HU), Žatec (CZ) and Planá nad Lužnicí (CZ) as well as two plants in Kragujevac (SRB), Yanfeng is well positioned to meet all customer requirements in the CEE region.
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For further information please contact:

Yanfeng International
​Jagenbergstraße 1
​41468 Neuss
​Germany

Astrid Schafmeister
​Tel.: +49 2131 609-3028
​E-Mail: astrid.schafmeister@yanfeng.com

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About Yanfeng
​Yanfeng is a leading global automotive supplier, which focuses on interiors, exteriors, seating, cockpit electronics and passive safety. Yanfeng has more than 240 locations and approximately 67,000 employees worldwide. The technical team of 4,100 experts is located at 12 R&D centers and other regional offices, with full capabilities including engineering & software development, design and user experience, and test validation. Focusing on smart cabin and lightweight technology, Yanfeng helps automakers to explore future mobility concepts and provide leading cabin solutions. ​
​For more information, please visit www.yanfeng.com.