The Teijin Group announced that it has joined the AZL Partner Network for Lightweight Production Technology, a cross-industry network for joint business development and technology development organized by service and engineering provider AZL Aachen GmbH and involving nine institutes and some 80 companies in the field of lightweight production. On October 22, the network will be kicking off one of their many joint projects, an eight-month project to develop and manufacture multi-material battery enclosures for electrical vehicles (EV).
Amid the ongoing shift toward connected, autonomous, shared, and electric (CASE) automobiles, automotive companies are transforming their business models to realize more lightweight and multifunctional next-generation vehicles.
The objectives of the cross-industry AZL Partner Network for Lightweight Production Technology align closely
with Teijin’s vision and goals of developing lightweight materials and components for these next generation vehicles. Through the participation in this project as well as two more projects, The Teijin Group will accelerate its automotive composite expertise.
Teijin acquired Continental Structural Plastics Holdings Corporation (CSP) in 2017 to become a Tier 1 supplier of multi-material automotive composites. CSP’s French operation is installing a new sheet molding compound line. Teijin also acquired leading automotive-composite suppliers Inapal Plásticos SA of Portugal and Benet Automotive s.r.o of Czech Republic.
The combined capabilities of Teijin’s composites businesses have resulted in collaborative initiatives that leverage each company’s unique strengths.
For example, last year Teijin developed a multi-material composite automotive door that meets crash regulations while reducing weight compared to that of conventional steel doors.
Also, Teijin established Teijin Automotive Center Europe GmbH (TACE) this past February as a base for developing technical functions using the group’s automotive composites to strengthen and accelerate its conceptualization, designing, prototyping,
evaluation, marketing and technical research of next-generation automotive components.
In particular, TACE is helping to combine the Teijin Group’s diverse capabilities in multi-material solutions utilizing its expertise, experiences and also new ideas in materials including carbon fibers and aramids for next-generation vehicles.