http://www.americanseating.com/index.php en Bethany.Kanipe@amseco.com Copyright 2010 2010-07-08T17:55:30+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vision-and-insight-win-design-awards/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vision-and-insight-win-design-awards/#When:17:55:30Z American Seating’s transportation products recently received prestigious design awards. The company’s InSight® product line received the 2010 iF (International Forum) product design award and the 2010 Red Dot design award, and the company’s Vision™ product received the 2009 Good Design award in the Transportation category. Both awards are for advanced design and industrial achievements. Two American Seating products honored with industrial design awards GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—March 3, 2010—American Seating’s transportation products recently received prestigious design awards. The company’s InSight® product line received the 2010 iF (International Forum) product design award and the 2010 Red Dot design award, and the company’s Vision™ product received the 2009 Good Design award in the Transportation category. Both awards are for advanced design and industrial achievements. AWARDS: iF and Red Dot– for InSight The iF and Red Dot awards are two of the most prestigious design awards – they stand for outstanding quality in design and is sought by well-known companies such Audi, Apple and Dell. InSight was one of 778 products to receive the iF award among 2,486 entries from 39 different countries. The product line was designed, engineered and tested by American Seating in close collaboration with key public transportation stakeholders throughout North America, including transit authorities, OEM builders, advocacy groups, industry associations and riders. Based on research, InSight was designed to meet the following needs: • Style. Research showed that style and design are particularly important to the riding public and to enhance the vehicle’s interior. InSight establishes a new standard in style, with a slim-line, one-piece sculpted seat module, and the product line has been extended to include a high back and fabric back model for enhanced aesthetics. The seat creates a business-class look that riders appreciate. • Comfort. InSight features the largest personal sitting area (it was the first American Seating product to offer a personal sitting area at 18 inches wide), more legroom, a back extension, padded seat and back cushions, increased standing-aisle hip space and a seat module made of energy-absorbing material. • Vandalism, maintenance, cleaning, installation. InSight offers hard-wearing, advanced-technology composite resin, corrosion-resistant materials and no exposed fasteners. Exclusive vandal- and cut-resistant cushions are also available, along with stainless-steel back panels. The modular design and patent-pending lightweight mounting system supports easy installation and part replacement. Transit authorities across the U.S. and Canada, such as San Diego, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Grand Rapids, Mich., and Victoria, British Columbia, have installed InSight in city service vehicles. Vancouver is the first to install InSight in its rail system – seats were installed in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. “The adoption of InSight across North America has been overwhelming. It really speaks to how well this seat has addressed our customers’ needs,” said Gary Thompson, transportation market manager, American Seating. Other winners of the 2010 iF award include BMW, Sony, Apple and Porsche. Winners of the Red Dot Design Award include the iPad and Mercedes Benz to name a few. AWARD: Good Design – for Vision The Good Design award, the oldest and most recognized program for design excellence worldwide, recognizes designs that enhance people’s everyday lives and promote industrial/economic growth. American Seating’s Vision, a stainless steel city-service bus and rail seat, was selected from 3,000 submissions after being reviewed by a panel of 70 design judges, receiving the 2009 Good Design award in the Transportation category. “We feel people should always be exposed to good design. Providing a clean, comfortable and contemporary environment invites passengers to leave their cars at home and ride the bus or train,” said Michelle Marek, senior transportation product specialist at American Seating. The company researched what it would take to get customers out of their personal vehicles, and Vision is at the core of their response: “What really sets this seat apart is the ergonomics and modular functionality; it possesses qualities not currently addressed with other stainless seats on the market,” Marek said. Vision’s contoured seat offers the largest individual sitting area (Vision and InSight are both the largest in the industry), and the slim-line profile provides increased hip-to-knee room, allowing passengers to enter and exit with ease. Aesthetically, it’s a clean design – there are no visible welds or hardware, which adds to the durability of the seat, and it’s easy to clean and maintain – scratches and graffiti can be easily buffed away, and what cannot be polished can easily be replaced onsite without grounding the vehicle for maintenance. “Vision stands up to extreme environments, it’s ergonomically designed and is for all types of passengers and needs,” Marek said. 2009 was a record year for submissions. Other winners in the transportation category include Bombardier, Siemens and Daimler’s Merecedes Benz products. Winners from other categories range from a Mars Landing Rover designed for a NASA Mars Space Mission to a simple water purification system for rural South African villages. Vision will be on display in Chicago this summer 2010 with other Good Design winners. Since 1886, American Seating Company has set the benchmark for product design, durability and comfort. We are committed to being a leader in transportation seating, including city service, rail, motorcoach and demand-response markets. American Seating is a contributing author of White Book standards, the industry guidelines for best practices. American Seating also serves as a leader in architectural and office environments. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., USA, American Seating employs a US-based workforce.   Corporate, Transportation 2010-07-08T17:55:30+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/5th-annual-national-dump-the-pump-day-on-june-17th.-save-money.-ride-transi/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/5th-annual-national-dump-the-pump-day-on-june-17th.-save-money.-ride-transi/#When:19:49:48Z With the economic recession still in effect and the return of high gas prices, American Seating is joining the public transportation industry, to participate in the Fifth Annual National “Dump the Pump” Day on Thursday, June 17th. American Seating is encouraging its employees to use public transportation and providing incentives such as raffles to promote the importance of public transportation in the local community.  Grand Rapids - Jun. 11, 10 – With the economic recession still in effect and the return of high gas prices, American Seating is joining the public transportation industry, to participate in the Fifth Annual National “Dump the Pump” Day on Thursday, June 17th. Contributing to the local public transportation industry helps passengers save money and ensures a healthy economic environment. Each year, an individual or a household can save more than $9,000 by taking public transportation instead of driving, and living with one less car. Gary Thompson, Marketing Manager at American Seating states “taking public transportation provides a safe, reliable and affordable mode of transportation for individuals and families, and it’s good for the environment.”  On the national scale, each passenger has the ability to help create and sustain jobs in their local economy. For every $1 invested in public transportation, it generates $4 in return, and for every $1 billion invested in public transportation capital and operations, it supports 36,000 jobs. Those 36,000 jobs in return generate nearly $3.6 billion in business sales. Dump the Pump Day is also one way Grand Rapids citizens can help protect the environment. Using public transportation exceeds the combined economic benefits of using energy-efficient light bulbs, adjusting thermostats, weatherizing one’s home and replacing a refrigerator. Using public transportation two days a week would reduce harmful GHG (Green House Gas) emissions by 1,600 pounds each year. American Seating is encouraging its employees to use public transportation and providing incentives such as raffles to promote the importance of public transportation in the local community. American Seating is a proud transit seating supplier to the public transportation industry with seats in every major city in the United States and Canada, including Grand Rapids’ Rapid transit system. Support Grand Rapids, the planet and save money by using public transportation – use The Rapid and take part in supporting National Dump the Pump Day on June 17th, 2010. Since 1886, American Seating Company has set the benchmark for product design, durability and comfort. We are committed to being a leader in transportation seating, including city service, rail, motor coach and demand-response markets. American Seating is White Book-compliant and a contributing author of White Book standards, the industry guide book for safety best practices. American Seating employs a U.S.-based workforce and is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., USA. We invite you to learn more about American Seating at http://www.americanseating.com.  Statistics presented are from the American Public Transportation Association. Read the press release here: Dump_the_Pump_2010_Press_Release.pdf Corporate, Transportation, Transportation Events 2010-06-11T19:49:48+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/premier-wins-award-for-excellence-in-automotive-engineering/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/premier-wins-award-for-excellence-in-automotive-engineering/#When:18:10:14Z Premier’s SafeGuard SmartFrame Technology Wins SAE Henry Ford II Distinguished Award for Excellence in Automotive Engineering Read more about Premier’s award here: Henry_Ford_Award_Press_release.pdf Corporate, Transportation 2010-05-24T18:10:14+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/yosemite-transit-system-first-to-purchase-premier-seats-metro/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/yosemite-transit-system-first-to-purchase-premier-seats-metro/#When:13:32:58Z YARTS is the first public transit agency to purchase Premier seats for their growing fleet of motorcoaches. Read article here. YARTS.pdf Corporate, Transportation 2010-05-13T13:32:58+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/neocon-2010/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/neocon-2010/#When:18:28:37Z American Seating to attend NeoCon 2010, June 14-16. Booth 8-7110. Architectural Events 2010-05-12T18:28:37+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-praise/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-praise/#When:18:23:15Z Grand Rapids Press April 28, 2010 American Seating receives praise for awards for design and sustainability practices. Grand Rapids Press, April 28, 2010 American Seating praise American Seating attracted honors from three directions this spring. Its InSight seating for public transportation was one of 778 products to win the iF (international Forum) prize, while its Vision stainless steel seat for bus and rail won the Good Design award. Both prizes were in the transportation category. A change in its meal pretreatment process led Corp! magazine to give the company its Green Initiative Champion award. Led by Fred Kauppila, American Seating’s superintendent of architectural environments, the initiative eliminated the discharge of phosphates and reduced water use and demand for hot water. Corporate, Architectural, Transportation 2010-05-12T18:23:15+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seatings-new-cfo-leslie-cummings/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seatings-new-cfo-leslie-cummings/#When:14:40:15Z GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—March 17, 2010—American Seating, an innovative seating solutions provider for more than 120 years, is pleased to announce Leslie Cummings as the newly appointed Chief Financial Officer. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—March 17, 2010—American Seating, an innovative seating solutions provider for more than 120 years, is pleased to announce Leslie Cummings as the newly appointed Chief Financial Officer. Leslie joins the company with extensive experience in positions of increased responsibility with Ernst and Young, Herman Miller, National Heritage Academies and Knape & Vogt, where she served as Chief Financial Officer. Leslie will oversee the financial activities of the Company, in addition to assuming the responsibility for the Information Technology, Pricing and Sourcing functions. Corporate 2010-04-13T14:40:15+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/michigan-manufacturers-rethink-march-toward-chinese-outsourcing/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/michigan-manufacturers-rethink-march-toward-chinese-outsourcing/#When:14:35:39Z By Nancy Crawley | The Grand Rapids Press April 04, 2010, 6:19AM Some Michigan manufacturers are rethinking whether the march toward Chinese outsourcing really is inevitable. American Seating Inc., the Grand Rapids producer of stadium and mass-transit seating, has been sending work to China since the ‘90s. But lately, not so much. “We are finding if we do the right things here, our work force is competitive,” said Victor Laing, vice president for manufacturing operations who calculates the cost of “here vs. there” with each new project. For full article go to Grand Rapids Press Michigan manufacturers rethink march toward Chinese outsourcing Some Michigan manufacturers are rethinking whether the march toward Chinese outsourcing really is inevitable. Certainly it seemed unstoppable only a few years ago. Then, the cost advantage of producing a part in China and shipping it back to the North American market was so awesome it earned its own title “The China Price.” But that once impressive difference has shrunk. And become more complicated. When business people run the numbers these days, it is giving them pause. “We have seen some pullback from China among our clients,” said Scott Sneckerberger, a partner at Plante & Moran accountants and consultants. The problem isn’t Google’s battle over Chinese censorship or Beijing’s long prison terms for foreign mining executives from Rio Tinto, the most often cited examples of the chillier China attitude toward foreign businesses. Scott SneckenbergIt is the rising cost of doing business there, Sneckerberger said. “I haven’t heard one person say I’m not going to do that because of worsening government relations,” he said. “But clients are looking at it from an economic standpoint and saying the picture isn’t as bright as I once thought.” American Seating Inc., the Grand Rapids producer of stadium and mass-transit seating, has been sending work to China since the ‘90s. But lately, not so much. “We are finding if we do the right things here, our work force is competitive,” said Victor Laing, vice president for manufacturing operations who calculates the cost of “here vs. there” with each new project. “China is not as competitive as it once was,” he said. “We’ve brought some things back from overseas.” Mostly it is smaller-volume jobs. “The high volume parts—if you can fill a (shipping) container—is still competitive in China,” he said. That price advantage is melting from both sides. “Our labor price is going down and the China price is going up,” Laing said. Other manufacturers see the gap tightening, Sneckerberger said. “There has been significant inflation in Chinese labor, materials and real estate costs,” the consultant said. Administrative costs also have risen—“the cost to get an audit done, to get incorporated and to maintain a business license, all required by law,” he said. “It’s expensive and time consuming.” Shipping from overseas also is more pricey, further eroding that cost calculus. Meanwhile in the United States, it’s a story all too well known—manufacturing wages are falling and so are other domestic prices in the midst of a harsh recession. Beside, “if you are only at 30 or 40 percent capacity (in your American plant), you aren’t looking to invest elsewhere,” Sneckerberger added. Michigan’s multinationals such as Amway Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are not in China for outsourcing. They are there to produce for its growing middle class eager to buy new cars and Amway cosmetics. “Our China business remains strong, there are no problems,” said spokesman Rob Zeiger from Amway’s Ada headquarters. In fact, China has been Amway’s largest market for many year. President Doug DeVos was among the U.S. executives invited to participate in March’s China Development Forum in Beijing where they mixed with top Chinese leaders and discussed business-government cooperation. And Ford has said it is ramping up its investment in China where it reported sales had soared more than 80 percent in the first quarter. Still U.S. business people are grumbling about Beijing’s growing protectionism that favors state-owned companies over them and threatens their patents. The Wall Street Journal recently published a front-page article “Business Sours on China” and Business Week’s current cover story asks if China is “Closing for Business?” Two weeks ago, the American Chamber of Commerce in China released a survey that shows a growing number of U.S. companies feel unwelcome in China. Perhaps to warm up strained relations, China’s President Hu Jintao announced Thursday he will visit the United States later this month. He will be welcome here. But for some Michigan companies, the rising expenses in Chinese factories and falling costs at home are reason enough to rethink The China Price. Corporate 2010-04-13T14:35:39+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vancouver-trains-use-locally-made-seats-gr-press/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/vancouver-trains-use-locally-made-seats-gr-press/#When:14:36:18Z The Insight, a chair launched in 2007 by Grand Rapids based American Seating Co., was installed in the 21 new SkyTrain cars added by Vancouver transit officials in preparation for the thousands of visitors and athletes arriving for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Read article here. Grand Rapids’ American Seating Co. gets rave reviews for outfitting Vancouver SkyTrains By Cami Reister | The Grand Rapids Press February 20, 2010, 5:14AM The InSight chairs (shown above) were installed on 21 Vancouver SkyTrains. GRAND RAPIDS—If skier Lindsey Vonn or speed skater Apolo Ohno hop on a train in between Olympic competitions in Vancouver, more than likely they’ll rest their Olympic-caliber glutes on a sleek seat made in Grand Rapids. The InSight, a modern-styled chair launched in 2007 by Grand Rapids-based American Seating Co., was installed in the 21 new SkyTrain cars added by Vancouver transit officials in preparation for the thousands of visitors and athletes arriving for the 2010 Winter Olympic games. During the first week, an estimated 2.6 million people boarded the train system, making it the busiest week in SkyTrain history. “We absolutely love the product,” said Mike Sauve, a project manager with TransLink, Vancouver’s transportation system. “We went through quite an exercise to pick that seat and we absolutely love it.” What’s the attraction? Dave McLaughlin, American Seating’s vice president of transportation, said after manufacturing transportation seating for 75 years, the company’s designers decided to rethink things and do fresh research on what people wanted. “It’s different in look, different in function and certainly different in form,” he said. “Traditional seat construction up until this would be metal or, in some cases, aluminum tubular-frame construction. “This doesn’t have any metal.” The seat is made from engineered resin that flexes with the movement of the vehicle. It also has a cushion that accommodates upholstery, pleasing marketing crews who want to improve the interiors of transit vehicles to attract more affluent riders, he said. “With this, you can manufacture it in any color you want,” McLaughlin said. “The marketing folks have had a heyday with this.” But the most important change of all, McLaughlin said, is the width: most transit seats are 17 to 17.5 inches wide, while the InSight measures 18 inches. “Research didn’t lie,” he said. “We were told the seats needed to be wide, more comfortable. That’s what we delivered and the rest is history. “Over the last two-year period, it represented over 30 percent of our business. It was a homerun.” TransLink plans to add more rail cars this year and next for a total InSight purchase of more than 3,100. Montreal-based Bombardier, the manufacturer of Vancouver’s rail cars, is planning to use InSight in other contracts, and it is used by transit systems in San Diego, Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. They also are found on The Rapid buses here in Grand Rapids. This is not American Seating’s first Olympic appearance. The company was a supplier for most of Salt Lake City’s transit system when the 2002 Winter Olympics were held there. While the Vancouver contract did not entitle anyone from the company to attend this year’s Olympics, McLaughlin said they do have a presence outside of the seats. As they did in Salt Lake City, they joined with other transit suppliers in providing coffee and donut service for the transit system staff during the Olympics. “Everyone forgets about those poor folks, and they work so hard,” he said. “Not only the drivers, but maintenance people that are working at night, changing oil and fixing stuff. “It takes an army of people.” Corporate, Transportation 2010-02-22T14:36:18+00:00 http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-wins-award-for-green-initiatives/ http://www.americanseating.com/en/news/article/american-seating-wins-award-for-green-initiatives/#When:19:12:25Z American Seating was recently recognized as a Green Initiative Champion by Corp! Magazine. The magazine solicited nominations for Michigan based businesses to recognize those who are making changes in their operations that will reduce their affects on the enviroment by becoming more sustainable. Corporate, Architectural 2010-02-02T19:12:25+00:00