BCAM International Makes Possible World's First 'Intelligent' Passenger-Car Seat
9 September 1997
BCAM International Makes Possible World's First 'Intelligent' Passenger-Car SeatCadillac Becomes First Carmaker to Commercialize BCAM's Breakthrough Ergonomic-Design Technology Royalty Stream From Textron to Commence This Year MELVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 9 -- BCAM International Inc. announced today that its proprietary and patented Intelligent Surface Technology (IST) is incorporated into the driver and passenger seats of the new 1998 Cadillac Seville STS model being launched today by the Cadillac division of General Motors Corporation. In 1993, Textron signed an exclusive agreement with BCAM to license its Intelligent Surface Technology for transportation seating, office chairs, hospital beds and wheelchairs. Under the agreement, BCAM will receive a royalty payment each time its technology is incorporated into products. Textron Automotive, a division of Textron Inc., is the leading supplier of automotive interior and functional components and systems. For BCAM, this represents significant recognition for the company's years of research into the phenomenon of how to make better "ergonomically designed" products that are in total physical harmony with their users and that provide them with the ultimate in comfort and fit. "For nearly a century, Cadillac has been creating a higher standard in automotive luxury and performance," said Michael Strauss, chairman and chief executive officer of BCAM International. "Through the combined efforts of BCAM and Textron Automotive, Cadillac now has the first intelligent passenger seat with the highest level of comfort and the most ergonomic sophistication that the auto industry as a whole, and Cadillac passengers in particular, have ever experienced. Once again, Cadillac has set a higher standard." "Textron Automotive's growth strategy emphasizes proprietary products and process technologies that add great value at lower cost for our customers," said Tony Haba, vice president of McCord Winn Textron, a subsidiary of Textron in Providence, R.I. "We are pleased to be partnering with BCAM, whom Textron believes to be the premier company focusing on the ergonomic design of advanced seating comfort technology." "We are proud to have partnered with Textron Automotive and Cadillac in order to create the world's first intelligent passenger-car seat that is a revolutionary departure from what passengers have come to accept as comfort in automobiles," said Strauss. "We also are extremely excited about the potential for IST to expand in the automotive market, which represents a substantial opportunity for BCAM." In recent years, the automotive industry has recognized the benefits of providing comfort adjustments in its passenger seats. One of the most popular features incorporated into car seats has been adjustable lumbar, or lower back support. Automakers acknowledged the enormous improvements in comfort and fatigue reduction these custom adjustments can make for a passenger and have wanted to extend these benefits throughout the entire seat. However, when they tried to incorporate more than one or two comfort adjustments, the result had been an overly complex product, that dissatisfied many users. The introduction of Intelligent Seat represents a new breakthrough in the design of automobile seating. The contour of the entire seat surface is controlled automatically by a small computer inside of the seat backrest. The Intelligent Seat provides custom fit to the individual occupant of the seat. When a different person sits down, the Intelligent Seat recognizes the new occupant and adjusts the seat to best fit that individual, providing the appropriate lumbar, thigh, and bolster support, as well as, improving the pressure distribution of the occupant's body weight on the seat surface. The comfort of the occupant is checked dynamically every couple of minutes, and the system adjusts the seating surface, if necessary, providing extended comfort during long drives. All of these automatic, individualized adjustments enhance measurable comfort to previously unattainable levels. Anyone who has had the opportunity to sit in the Intelligent Seat has had a difficult time returning to their own non-intelligent car seat. To date, seven patents have been issued (including one European patent) involving various aspects of IST, and a Notice of Allowance recently was received from the U.S. patent office involving a key patent. When combined with four pending patents, BCAM enjoys substantial intellectual property protection for this technology. BCAM has identified primary applications for IST in the areas of footwear, seating, beds, medical equipment and hand tools. Thus far, BCAM has entered into IST partnerships with several major corporations: --Textron Automotive, the automotive division of Textron Inc., has been granted an exclusive license for the use of IST in the manufacture and sale of seats and seating components for the transportation, hospital bed, wheelchair and office-chair markets. -- Reebok International Inc. , a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of sports, fitness and casual footwear, has been granted an exclusive license to incorporate BCAM's IST into footwear. (Medical footwear/equipment and orthopedic devices are specifically excluded from this license agreement.) -- Sealy Inc., a leading manufacturer and marketer of bedding and mattress products, has entered into an agreement with BCAM that provides Sealy with an option to use BCAM's IST in its adjustable beds and a right of first refusal for the use of IST in all non-medical bedding products. Sealy has indicated that it plans to incorporate IST into at least one of its products during 1997. -- Recently, a major manufacturer of recliners provided funding for BCAM to retrofit one of its recliners with IST for evaluation. BCAM International Inc. is one of the nation's leading ergonomic-software technology companies, specializing in ergonomic solutions for major industries and governments. BCAM provides a broad range of consulting services using proven principles of ergonomics and biomechanics that combine elements of physical medicine and engineering in the design of products, tools, and manufacturing processes that are better suited to be more compatible with the human body. Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains "forward-looking" statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," and "expect" and other similar expressions as they relate to the Company and its management are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company and its management believe that the statements contained in this announcement are reasonable, the Company can give no assurance that such statements will prove correct. Factors that could affect the occurrence of events or results discussed herein include those mentioned in the Company's Form 10-K and 10Qs. SOURCE BCAM International Inc.