US-based multinational supplier Johnson Controls has opened an Asian design centre in Ayase City, Kanagawa. It offers product 'ideation', concept, prototype and modeling capabilities, is housed within the company's Asian Technical Centre. The facility became part of Johnson Controls through the acquisition of Ikeda Bussan Co. last year. The team that resides in the design studio is composed of designers, three-dimensional modelers and engineers.
"With the opening of our Asian design centre, we've expanded our ability to meet our global customers' needs for world-class automotive interior design concepts and innovations," said Richard Chung, design director, Asia, for Johnson Controls. "Our goal is to interpret consumers' needs and then translate them into innovative vehicle products."
Chung hopes the design centre will enable the company to work more closely with its OE customers in Japan to bring new interior approaches to market faster. The client list in Japan includes Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota.
The automotive business of Johnson Controls employs more than 77,000 people worldwide. In fiscal 2000/01 it achieved US$13.6 billion in sales. For the 2002 model year, it will supply interior products for more than 23 million vehicles.
