2023-07-03 07:00:00
Do you know Yanfeng? Why, surely. They just might not know it. The Chinese company is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world and develops car components that each of us has actually touched and looked at or sat on several times. The Chinese research and develop for all renowned automobile manufacturers, regardless of whether they are volume or premium brands.
The core competencies include the design of automobile exteriors and interiors, but also seats, cockpit electronics and passive safety systems. The safety technologies range from the steering wheel, which vibrates and provides a visual warning when you unintentionally leave the lane, to seating systems with automatic belt tensioning, as well as restraint systems and airbags. Yanfeng also offers holistic solutions for interior concepts. Completely according to the exclusive wishes of the automobile manufacturers. Then the entire interior, from the cockpit to the door panels to the seats, everything comes from Yanfeng.
The list of OEMs is endless and reads like a who’s who of car manufacturers. These include German premium manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. But Land Rover, Maserati and Volkswagen as well as the entire Stellantis Group also rely on Yanfeng’s know-how. There is practically no one left who doesn’t use Chinese vehicle parts and install them in their cars. That’s why you now know Yanfeng.
Research and development takes place worldwide
Globally, Yanfeng employs around 67,000 people at 240 locations. Of these, around 4,100 engineers and experts work on research and development within the company. Twelve different technology centers are spread around the globe. In addition to the Research and Development Center at the European headquarters in Neuss, the Research and Development Center in Trenčín is one of the largest European locations.
Here in Slovakia, the security systems developed are tested for their functional and service life as well as their material properties. In the individual laboratories of the 7,600 square meter area there is shaking, there is dust and the airbags explode here every day. Five to six of the airbags are ignited in a controlled manner every day in the airbag test center to check whether they deploy correctly and that no flying cockpit parts from the dashboard or side panels injure the occupants. The controlled explosions of the airbags are recorded by high-speed cameras at up to 5,000 images per second. At the end of each test, everything is analyzed for safety. If components behave unexpectedly, they must be redesigned.
Fine desert dust from Arizona
Long-term testing is also a big topic here in Trenčín. Airbag steering wheels are subjected to mechanical stress in vibration and shake tests so that their correct function can be guaranteed even following years. In another testing laboratory, there is suddenly a dusting of superfine red sand. An extensive dust test is carried out on individual airbag modules in a special machine. The modules are sprinkled for five hours with a special dust that comes directly from the Arizona desert and is so fine-pored that it easily penetrates into the last cracks in the components. If the airbag modules pass the test, they go to the climate chamber for further functional tests.
Temperatures in the climate chambers range from -40 to +120 degrees Celsius. The modules have to withstand these extreme conditions for ten days and are tested for environmental influences. They are then placed in another chamber and sprayed with salt mist for corrosion tests.
“Airbag modules and steering wheels are crucial for the safety of drivers and passengers,” says Ivan Kebísek. The 50-year-old Slovakian is the technical manager here in Trenčín. “This means that our products must meet the highest standards of quality and function. For this reason, Yanfeng has committed itself to a zero-defect culture,” adds the mechanical engineer.
Malfunctions would be fatal
The effort put into Yanfeng’s technology center is enormous. This ensures that the passive safety components function properly at all times. Functional errors in later production vehicles would injure the occupants in an accident and would be a major disaster. Like the Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata, which supplied almost every car manufacturer with its airbags. Malfunctions resulting in injuries and even deaths triggered a huge recall campaign by almost all car manufacturers and drove the former airbag giant into bankruptcy in 2017, one of the largest in Japanese economic history.
That is why safety at the research and development site in Trenčín has the highest priority. The components are pushed to their load limit during shock and vibration tests. Even gas generators are ignited here so that the driver, passenger, side and head airbags function properly. Experts then analyze whether the release pressure actually meets the required specifications. Yanfeng has invested a good 2.5 million euros in the technology center in Slovakia. The machines, test benches and all laboratory facilities leave a state-of-the-art impression. They support employees in their testing procedures.
There is only one test that does not involve machines, but only humans – the smell test. Plastic materials are checked for possible fumes because plastics can release volatile organic compounds that might be unpleasant for vehicle occupants. But not every person is suitable for subjective assessment. The demanding test requires an extremely fine nose, as the chief engineer at the Yanfeng technical center, Daniela Bystricka, confirms to us. “Among the few suitable test subjects, smokers usually have the right nose,” says the 43-year-old Slovakian, holding a glass with a material sample under the author’s nose. He’s a smoker, but he doesn’t smell anything and he failed this test. Bystricka reassures: “Very few people are really suitable for our demanding smell test.” (cen/gb)
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