New safety testing equipment worth €2.5m euros (US$2.8m) has been installed at Yanfeng’s tech center in Trenčín, Slovakia, expanding the company’s passive safety component development and test capabilities outside of China.
Analysis stations for assessing steering wheels and airbag modules include a mechanical shock test station as well as a drop tester, inflator deployment test machine, an additional climate chamber, a salt spray chamber and a dust test station, which uses fine dust from the Arizona desert. A new temperature shock tester, an airbag test center and a robot test system have also been installed.
“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. This means that our products must fulfill the highest quality standards and work perfectly,” said Ivan Kebísek, engineering director and site leader of the Yanfeng Technical Center in Trenčín.
Yanfeng has been ramping up its testing operations in Trenčín since 2017. The facility, one of two major European R&D sites in Yanfeng’s global engineering network, supports the tech hub at the company’s European headquarters in Neuss, Germany. It provides environmental, functional, durability and material tests for automotive interior components and products, including instrument panels, cockpits, door panels and floor consoles, and testing was recently extended to include the passive safety portfolio.
Francois Stouvenot, CEO EMEA and NA at Yanfeng Global Automotive Interiors, said, “Yanfeng is the only automotive supplier that offers in-house passive safety solutions and interior integration from a single source. With our extensive expertise in interiors, seating and passive safety, we are able to develop holistic interior solutions with seamlessly integrated safety systems.
“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. The investment in this new safety test equipment enables us to enhance our capabilities and further support our customers locally.”
