Core tip: with the rapid development of the automobile industry, the structure of consumer groups in China tends to be younger, while the consumption concept is gradually mature, and more people pursue the environmental protection, comfort and convenience of car life. With the rapid development of the automobile industry, the structure of consumer groups tends to be younger, while the consumption concept is gradually mature, and more people pursue the environmental comfort, convenience and personalization of car life. Especially for the interior space, we expect to highlight the atmosphere of self and home. Based on this, many interior trim and material manufacturers have started new R & D processes to meet the needs of car owners in the new era, including the research and development of new automobile fabrics. Now in the automotive fabric market, or in the world of "tall and high" leather, how to base new fabrics and how to expand in the future? Recently, the reporter interviewed Zou Li, manager of the automotive fabric business unit * of Johnson Controls professional automotive interior decoration Group in China, to discuss the above issues. At present, the post-80s generation has gradually become the main consumer group in the Chinese automotive market, and the younger post-90s generation will also become an important purchasing power in the automotive market in the future. The consumer demand and value system are diversified and personalized. While the consumer groups of 60 and 70 are relatively conservative, their concepts are gradually changing. In fact, in Europe, 80% of car seats are made of new fabrics such as fabrics, mainly because consumers think that the new fabrics are more flexible and selective, which can better show their individuality and release themselves.
Chinese consumers are changing in this respect, especially young people. We can see this through the best-selling of SUVs. Therefore, we have great confidence in the Chinese market. " Zou Li said. She told the reporter that in the design of new fabrics, Johnson Controls will pay more attention to their value demands of "identity, diversity, personalization and harmony with nature" for the main purchased models of the post-80s and 90s generation, and have more colors and patterns to choose from. For those who prefer leather in the 60s and 70s, Johnson Controls will also use imitation leather fabrics and some leather substitutes such as PVC belts and yarns to process into special mithy fabrics to meet their needs to a certain extent. Compared with the fabric, leather is still relatively single. The fabric has various arrangements and combinations, which can meet the needs of different consumers. The environmental protection coefficient is higher than the PM2.5 haze outside the carpool, and the inside of the car is eroded by VOC toxic gas. The term "environmental protection" has gradually changed from government led to people's conscious acceptance. 47% of Chinese consumers said that they would consider whether the car has environmental protection "label" and configuration when buying a car. For the leather that has been dominating the market, it may meet new challenges. Tracing back the carbon emission footprint from the initial livestock breeding to the production and application of *, the total carbon emission in the whole life cycle is very high, and the total carbon dioxide emission per square meter reaches 110 kg, more than 5 times that of ordinary fabrics. In contrast, fabrics have many advantages, such as soft touch, noise reduction, low energy consumption (not easy to absorb or release heat), low carbon emissions and so on. As for the new fabric applied to the chair, Zou Li said that in addition to its air permeability and scratch resistance, it should also be able to pass the total VOC and odor tests. Through the post-processing technology, such as the coating process of automobile fabrics such as freshper4mance, the cleanability can be realized. Even if a cup of coffee is splashed on the chair, it can be cleaned as new with a wipe. In addition, Zou Li told the reporter that the fabric is light and can reach different thicknesses for different parts of the fabric. Compared with leather, the weight can be reduced by 60% - 90%, so as to meet the needs of light weight and energy saving of the whole vehicle factory. Host factory selection for host factories, consumers' preferences are the key factor in their selection of fabric materials. At the present stage, it will be a big challenge for new fabrics to let the host factory accept this concept first. In this regard, Zou Li said that the main reason why the OEMs did not promote fabric products before was mainly because of the limited awareness and acceptance of consumers, and that it was difficult to manage fabrics. The final reason was that there were too few choices of fabric technology in the market before.
With the continuous exploration of Johnson Controls on the composite processing technology of fabrics and new fabric materials, we have seen many possibilities. If the fabric seat can not only be stain resistant and antibacterial, warm in winter and cool in summer, but also be beautiful and beautiful, and can also realize many personalized graphics and designs, I believe consumers will also be willing to choose fabric seats, and the host machine factory will respond to the trend in this regard. In addition, the fabric has a very important advantage because of its high flexibility and modularity. The fabric only needs to use a base cloth (traditional black, gray and beige), add different design elements (patterns, patterns and colors) to these base fabrics, and adopt different composite processing processes (such as laser welding, embroidery, screen printing, ink-jet, etc.), so as to show beautiful effects, and even achieve the effect of imitation leather. This is a point that the main engine manufacturer is very happy to see. It can not only reduce the cost, but also highlight the differences and individuality of different models. At the same time, after acquiring Michel Thierry, Johnson Controls realized vertical integration in the fabric field. Through EPDP (optimized product development process), deep understanding of OEM customers' automotive design themes and professional insights into future design trends, fabric designers can step into the OEM customers' interior conceptual design stage, communicate the fabric design scheme in the early stage, and meet the needs of OEM customers and consumers, Develop innovative fabric solutions.
