Johnson Controls Opens Crash Test Facility for Seat Safety

August 12, 2014

Patrick Ponticel

A whiplash test is run in Johnson Controls’ new crash test facility at its Automotive Seating headquarters in Plymouth, MI. The closed-loop system allows engineers to monitor in real time what is happening to the seat or seat component during testing.

Johnson Controls has opened a new crash test facility at its automotive seating headquarters in Plymouth, MI. One of the highlights of the facility is a Seattle Safety ServoSled that allows the automotive supplier to offer what it claims is the most accurate, standardized safety testing of seats globally through collaboration with its other testing facilities located in Burscheid, Germany; Changchun and Shanghai, China; and Yokohama, Japan. There are only 44 ServoSleds worldwide, and only 10 in the United States, according to the company. The new sled is a closed-loop system that allows Johnson Controls to monitor in real time what is happening to the seat or seat component as a test is being run.