Mississauga, ON, Canada – The Woodbridge Group and Intier Automotive Seating, an operating unit of Magna International Inc. announced today the availability of bio-based seating, an environmentally friendly polution for seating products.
BioFoam, a bio-based polyurethane foam developed by The Woodbridge Group and validated for manufacturing earlier this year, is derived from the oils of various plant seeds, such as Soy beans. This renewable resource based foam was engineered to meet existing customer specifications such as odor free and colorless properties. The Woodbridge Group and Intier Automotive Seating have partnered to introduce BioFoam seat cushions in the Ford Escape launching in 2008, with the urethane foam cushions being supplied by Woodbridge and the final seat assembly being performed by
Intier.
David Miller, Senior Vice President of The Woodbridge Group states, "there are a variety of reasons we developed BioFoam. One important reason is the fact that eventually we are all going to face a dwindling supply of conventional petro-based chemicals because they will become unacceptably expensive or simply not available. Introducing future products for today's market that address environmental concerns is appealing to Woodbridge, the consumer and the entire industry."
"Our organization has been working on ways to make automotive seating more environment-friendly for several years," says Imtiyaz Syed, VP of Engineering for Intier Automotive Seating. "BioFoam is a good example of a product designed using natural, renewable and sustainable resources. Incorporating bio-based materials into our seating solutions is just another example of Magna's commitment to environment and social stewardship."
Currently, BioFoam can include up to 40% bio-polyol in various applications including seat cushions, head restraints, arm rests, headliners and occupant protection products. As compared to petroleum-based versions, a life cycle analysis reveals this bio-polyol offers less global warming emissions as well as a reduction in total energy demand and in nonrenewable energy use.
About Magna International
Magna International, the most diversified automotive supplier in the world, designs, develops and manufactures automotive systems, assemblies, modules and components, and engineers and assembles complete vehicles, primarily for sale to original equipment manufacturers of cars and light trucks in North America, Europe, Asia and South America. Its capabilities include the design, engineering, testing and manufacture of automotive interior and closure systems; metal body and structural systems; exterior and interior mirror and engineered glass systems; exterior systems, including front and rear end modules, plastic body panels, exterior trim and other systems; various powertrain and drivetrain systems; as well as, complete vehicle engineering and assembly. Magna International has approximately 83,000 employees in 236 manufacturing operations and 63 product development and engineering centers in 23 countries.
About Intier Automotive Seating
Intier Automotive Seating is an innovative leader in the development and manufacturing of complete seating systems and seating mechanisms for the automotive industry.
About The Woodbridge Group
The Woodbridge Group is a Canadian company with 63 facilities operating in 21 countries, and is a global leader in the development and production of polyurethane products. Automotive applications include components for seating, structural support, occupant protection, headliner systems and acoustical management, as well as a full range of value added services including engineering and design, supply chain management, assembly, sequencing and JIT delivery solutions. For more information, visit www.woodbridgegroup.com ® are registered trademarks and TM are trademarks of Woodbridge Foam Corporation and are also denoted in bold type.
Woodbridge Contact:
Tom Justrich, Director
Global Marketing
905-896-3626
thomas_justrich@woodbridgegroup.com
www.woodbridgegroup.com
Magna Contact
Tracy Fuerst
Director of Media Relations
Phone: 248-729-2731
Cell: 248-761-7004
Tracy_fuerst@magna.on.ca
www.magna.com