New kid on the block Expliseat aims to enter the market with a bang - promising to cut seat weight by "at least 50%" and thus shave off up to 5% from airlines' fuel bills.
The French start-up is presenting for the first time its "Titanium" economy class seat at this year's show. Not only should the titanium and composite tube structure with a fabric cover slash weight dramatically to 4kg (9lb) per passenger, but it also offers greater longevity and less maintenance through lower part count. While "average standard seats" comprise around 500 components, the new design is made from 30 parts, says Expliseat.
"It is the most durable seat on the market, withstanding up to 100,000 usages, equivalent to 10 years of operation," the company claims.
The backrest is 2in (5cm) thick to provide more legroom. But Expliseat says that the textile cover will absorb impacts from passengers in the row behind and offer "ideal" comfort due to the shock-absorbing seat structure.
The private company was established in 2011 by three young engineers and is backed by former Airbus chief executive Christian Streiff. Co-founders Benjamin Saada, chief executive, and Jean-Charles Samuelian, chief operating officer, aim to have up to three narrowbody customers by the end of 2013.
Current production capacity through a partnership assembly line in Toulouse and external component manufacturers should allow fabrication of 30,000 seats during the first year. But this is to be doubled every six months thereafter thanks to an "innovative industrial model".
The entrepreneurs reject concerns that a titanium and carbon composite design might be too expensive for an economy class seat. Due to the weight and maintenance cost savings, Samuelian says, that the new design will offer the best seat total cost of ownership in the market.
- All the latest news from the 2013 Aircraft Interiors Expo
Source: Flight Daily News
