Michigan plant produces 25 million seat cushions in less than 5 years
The average travel time to work in the United States is 25.4 minutes, according to the US Census Bureau. That’s an average of 50.8 minutes to make the round trip each day, which leads to about 4¼ hours each week. With motorists spending this kind of quality time in their vehicles, it’s important for the seats to provide reliable, consistent comfort on a daily basis – something Magna International’s foam facility in Shelby Township, Michigan, understands very well, as today they celebrated the milestone of manufacturing 25 million automotive seat pads since starting production in 2010.
“Our team has shown a great deal of dedication to meeting the needs of our customers and delivering quality products through world-class manufacturing,” said Rene Chauvin, General Manager, Shelby Foam Systems. “Our commitment to our customers and overall expertise in the seating industry is demonstrated by this production milestone.”
Shelby Foam Systems, a 61,200-square-foot operation with approximately 150 employees, makes its foam pad products and ships them to Magna factories that in turn manufacture complete seat systems for global automakers. Pads from Shelby Foam are assembled into seats for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, Chevrolet Volt and Cruze, and Ford C-Max, as well as Kenworth and Peterbilt commercial vehicles.
Within its manufacturing processes, the plant uses soy-based raw materials as well as those that come from recycled scrap foam in making their automotive seat pads. Both materials contribute to reducing Magna’s overall ecological footprint.
“With our ability to deliver innovative solutions, we are confident we will continue to be indispensable to our customers, grow our business and reach more milestones. Congratulations to the Shelby Township team,” said Mike Bisson, Magna Seating President.
