Lear, Stewart Grand Prix Put Drivers' Safety First
2 March 1999
Lear, Stewart Grand Prix Put Drivers' Safety First With Award-Winning F1 Extractable Seat System
DETROIT, March 1 -- Drivers' safety took a huge leap forward
in 1999, with the recent requirement that all Formula One cars be equipped
with an extractable seat system -- an innovation pioneered by Lear Corporation
and Stewart Grand Prix.
The extractable seat is the product of a collaboration between technical
and design engineers at Lear Corporation, one of the world's largest
automotive suppliers, Stewart Grand Prix (SGP) and the Federation
Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA).
Shortly after the extractable seat system was unveiled at the Japanese
Grand Prix in late 1998, Lear and SGP were recognized by the Specialty
Equipment Market Association (SEMA) with its prestigious 1998 Motorsports
Engineering Safety Award for "outstanding contribution to state-of-the-art
motorsports engineering."
Described by Professor Sid Watkins, President of the FIA Medical
Commission, as an enormous breakthrough in Formula One driver safety, the type
of extractable seat created by Lear and Stewart Grand Prix is mandatory on all
Formula One cars as of January 1, 1999. The FIA's Technical Working Group
adopted the technical specification from the prototype designed and developed
by Lear and SGP in conjunction with Professor Watkins and Charlie Whiting, the
FIA Safety Delegate.
Professor Watkins said: "It was with great pleasure that the FIA welcomes
the initiative taken by Stewart Grand Prix and Lear Corporation. We have
cooperated from the beginning and they have produced an excellent design.
Once the system is established in Formula One, we propose to extend its use to
other motorsport disciplines. It obviously makes sense for all forms of
motorsport to adopt the principle of removing an injured driver from his car
while still in his seat."
The extractable design enables medical crews to remove a driver from the
cockpit in his seat thus minimizing the risk of spinal injury. It also
provides a means of securing and immobilizing the driver's head and body for
extraction.
"It's going to be 100 percent better than moving somebody in the cockpit
and putting on a spinal splint," said Professor Watkins. "And it's going to
be a lot quicker. It will significantly enhance our efforts towards fine-
honing the medical response."
"From a driver's point of view," said Stewart-Ford Team Driver Rubens
Barrichello, "safety will undoubtedly be improved in 1999 by the extractable
seat requirement. I have been impressed by the way the Lear engineers have
worked so tirelessly to come up with a design that is functional and effective
yet suits the body contour of the driver. The seat will enable medical teams
to remove an injured driver quickly and with limited movement, making it an
important safety innovation."
Jackie Stewart, who has been at the forefront of motor sport safety
campaigns for three decades, added: "The extractable seat provides ample hope
not only that drivers will survive accidents with their lives but may be able
to walk after crashes that would otherwise have left them paralyzed.
"The team of people involved in this project at Lear, both in North
America and Europe, has done an extraordinarily good job," Stewart said.
"Many hundreds of hours have been devoted to it by a whole army of experts.
Stewart Grand Prix is proud to have been part of the project and to have
contributed something to motorsport in terms of driver safety, a subject about
which I am very passionate. I am delighted that the FIA has seen fit in 1999
to make it compulsory in all Formula One cars."
Jim Masters, President of Lear's Technology Division, said: "Lear
Corporation and Stewart Grand Prix developed the extractable seat in the best
interests of safety in motorsports. The FIA had been seeking this kind of
breakthrough technology for many years and Lear is pleased to have played a
major role in developing this new safety system. We applaud the FIA's
decision to make this type of seat mandatory on all Formula One cars and
believe it will contribute positively to motorsports safety."
In coming up with a design for an extractable seat for Formula One, the
Lear Corporation and Stewart Grand Prix engineers involved in the project
received valuable input from FIA safety and medical personnel, as well as from
track safety and medical teams and medical consultants.
The seat system is intended for use when an accident renders the driver
incapacitated. Its design provides a means for securing the driver and
immobilizing his head and body, then making it possible to extract the driver
while he is still in his seat. The seat also can be used to keep the driver
immobilized while being transported to either the infield or local hospital.
The seat itself was designed to withstand the weight of the driver
(inclusive of race clothing and helmet) and to maintain its structural
integrity following an impact.
Eight attachment points for straps are strategically located on the seat
to allow safety crews to immobilize the driver at the torso, chest, head and
spinal area using a head stabilization board and pillow inserted into the back
of the seat.
Track crews -- equipped with safety kits which include color-keyed straps
to attach to the seat, the head stabilization board pillow and extraction
straps with D-rings -- would fit straps to clips already on the seat to
immobilize the driver before removing him from the vehicle.
Lear signed a three-year technology agreement with Stewart Grand Prix on
December 18, 1997. As one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive
interior systems, Lear Corporation is the ideal technology partner to provide
design, engineering and manufacturing support for seating and interior safety
systems in the Stewart-Ford racecars.
Lear Corporation, a Fortune 500 company based in Southfield, Michigan,
USA, is one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, with 1998 sales of
$9.1 billion. The company's world-class automotive interior products are
designed, engineered and manufactured by Lear's global workforce at facilities
located on six continents. Information about Lear and its products is
available on the Internet at http://www.lear.com.
Fact Sheet
Lear Corporation's Technology Partnership with Stewart Grand Prix
Lear Corporation signed a three-year technology agreement with Stewart
Grand Prix on December 18, 1997. As one of the world's leading suppliers of
automotive interior systems, Lear Corporation is the ideal technology partner
to provide design, engineering and manufacturing support for seating and
interior safety systems in the Stewart-Ford racecars.
Lear has a considerable racing pedigree, mainly in North American
motorsport categories. Its 1998 expansion into Formula One was a logical
development for the company that not only shares Grand Prix racing's global
profile but is already a key supplier to some of the biggest names involved at
the pinnacle of motor racing.
In 1998, its first year as a Formula One sponsor, Lear had a significant
impact on Grand Prix racing, playing a key part in the development of a
revolutionary extractable seat system introduced on October 30, 1998. The
award-winning extractable seat system is the product of a collaboration
between technical and design engineers at Lear Corporation, Stewart Grand Prix
and the FIA.
The FIA's Technical Working Group has adopted the specifications of the
prototype extractable seat system designed and developed by Lear and SGP in
conjunction with Professor Sid Watkins, President of the FIA Medical
Commission, and FIA Safety Delegate Charlie Whiting. This type of seat is
mandatory on all Formula One cars as of January 1, 1999.
Lear Corporation also is providing state-of-the-art technologically
advanced seating in carbon fibre and kevlar specially designed for Stewart-
Ford drivers Rubens Barrichello and Johnny Herbert. Lear's engineers also are
creating energy absorption systems to surround the area between the driver's
seat and the "tub" or monocoque that provides enhanced side-impact protection
for Rubens and Johnny.
Lear Corporation, a Fortune 500 company based in Southfield, Michigan,
USA, is one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, with record 1998
sales of $9.1 billion. Information about Lear and its products is available
on the Internet at http://www.lear.com.
Fact Sheet
Lear Corporation
A Fortune 500 company, Lear Corporation is one of the world's largest
suppliers of automotive interior systems. Lear is a global leader in
design, engineering, and process and product innovation. Information about
Lear and its products is available on the Internet at: http://www.lear.com.
KEY FACTS ABOUT LEAR CORPORATION
* began operations in 1917 producing seat frames as American Metal
Products in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
* is a full-service Tier 1 supplier with complete design, engineering,
testing and manufacturing capabilities.
* acquired Automotive Industries, Inc. in August 1995 and Masland
Corporation in July 1996 to become the world's largest independent supplier of
fully integrated automotive interior systems.
* employs more than 60,000 people worldwide with more than 200 facilities
located in 28 countries.
* is a Fortune 500 company publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange
.
* is an S&P MidCap 400 stock.
* is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, USA.
* has seen sales increase from $160 million in 1983 to $9.1 billion in
1998.
KEY MANAGEMENT
* Kenneth L. Way, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
* Robert E. Rossiter, President and Chief Operating Officer
* James H. Vandenberghe, Vice Chairman
* Donald J. Stebbins, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
DIVISIONS
Lear Corporation is organized into eight divisions:
* Chrysler Division
* Fiat Division
* Ford Division
* General Motors Division
* Interior Systems Group
* International Division
* Premium Car Interiors Group
* Technology Division
MANUFACTURING SITES
Lear Corporation has more than 200 facilities in 28 countries worldwide:
* Argentina
* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Canada
* China
* Czech Republic
* England
* France
* Germany
* Hungary
* India
* Indonesia
* Ireland
* Italy
* Mexico
* Poland
* Portugal
* Russia
* Singapore
* South Africa
* Spain
* Sweden
* Thailand
* Turkey
* United States
* Venezuela
TECHNICAL CENTERS
Lear Corporation has global technological capabilities to provide complete
product design, engineering, styling and development coordinated through its
Technology Division that is co-located with the Lear Corporation World
Headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, USA.
KEY COMPONENTS/SYSTEMS
Lear Corporation is the world's largest independent supplier of fully
integrated automotive interior systems and components. Lear's key components
and systems include:
* Acoustic components
* Airbag equipped seats and instrument panels
* Articulating, high-performance seats
* Battery trays
* Car kit for portable phones
* Closed container products
* Consoles and stowage systems
* Dash and floor insulators
* Door trim panels
* Door systems
* Door/quarter panel appliques
* Engine covers
* Floor systems
* Fender liners
* Fuel tank shields
* Fully trimmed seats
* Garnish trim
* Hard trim systems
* Headliner systems
* Headrests and armrests
* HVAC ducts
* Instrument panels
* Luggage compartment trim
* Molded foam cushions
* Package trays
* Recliners and seat adjusters
* Seat backs and cushion frames
* Seat covers
* Shelves and trunk systems
* Side wall trim
* Soft surface interior trim
* Trunk trim
* Underhood systems
* Vapor canisters
* Visors
* Windshield washer reservoirs
* Throw-in mats
* Manual track adjusters
* Power track adjusters
* Manual recliners
* Power recliners
* Manual height adjusters
* Convenience systems
- Interior (truck cabs)
- Exterior (truck beds)
PRODUCT AND PROCESS INNOVATIONS
Lear's advanced technology leads the industry in process and product
innovations, including:
* Formed wire spring
* 4- and 6-way manual tracks
* Robotic resistance welding
* Waterjet trimming
* OEM swivel base seat
* Articulating performance seat
* Sequential just-in-time processes
* Integral restraint seat
* Lightweight magnesium frames
* Side impact protection seat systems
* Integrated child seats
* World's largest injection molded interior trim component
* Injection molding for uncovered interior panels
* Use of Woodstock(TM) and thermal post forming in door panels
* One coat water-borne paint system for polypropylene
* Double shot armrest with foam-in-place pad
* Developed tufted carpet/synthetic fibers for automotive industry
* First one-piece, molded floor systems
* Rigitex(TM) products for rigid textile trim development
* Stratos(TM) foam-in-place urethane foam floor systems
* Needlepunched, non-woven textiles for soft surface, luggage compartment
trim and carpets
* Masback(TM) carpet backcoating for interior noise control
* EcoPlus(TM) recyclable material for acoustic components
* Total integrated approach to interior noise control
* Product and process technology for damping and expandable compounds
* Solution-dyed carpet yarns
* Foam milling for prototyping
* Visual engineering - virtual prototyping of interior components
* Self-docking connectors - improved DFA/DFM
* OneStep(TM) Door
* Revolution(TM) Seating System
* Catcher's Mitt(TM) seat
* Pro-Tech(TM) self-aligning head restraint
* Versa-Knit(TM) 3-D knitting
* PVI Method(TM) (People-Vehicle Interface Methodology)
WORLDWIDE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
The company offers several manufacturing processes on a worldwide basis,
including:
* Seating
-SureBond(R) -DuraBond
-DryBond(TM) -ElectroBond
-Cut & Sew
* Seat Systems
-Metal Stampings
-Frames
-Wire
-Mechanisms
* High Pressure Injection Molding
-HCPP -ABS
-PP -PC/ABS
-PE
* Low Pressure Molding
-Low pressure injection molding
-Injection Compression
-Gas Assist
* Blow Molding
-PP
-PE
* Expanded PP
* Glass Reinforced Urethane
-SRIM -Strapazzini(TM)
-RRIM
* Foam Molding
-Urethane
-Polypropylene
-Foam in Place
* Compression Molding
-Hydro Molding
-Woodstock(TM)
-Flax PP
-Urethane Thermoset Laminate
-Twin Shell Vacuum Molding
-Urethane Thermoplastic Laminate
-Corrugated Thermoplastic
-PET
* Tufted and Non-Woven Carpets
* Molded and Unmolded Fiber Decouplers
* Foam Decouplers
CURRENT CUSTOMERS
* Alfa Romeo
* Audi
* BMW
* Daewoo
* DaimlerChrysler
* Fiat
* Ford
* Gaz
* General Motors
* Honda
* Hyundai
* Isuzu
* Jaguar
* Mahindra & Mahindra
* Mazda
* Mitsubishi
* Nissan
* Nizhegorod Motors
* Opel
* Peugeot
* Porsche
* Renault
* Rolls Royce
* Rover
* Saab
* Subaru
* Suzuki
* Toyota
* Volkswagen
* Volvo