Alps Alpine Co., Ltd. and TS TECH Co., Ltd. signed a business alliance agreement, outlined below, with a view to developing new cabin spaces for incorporation into next-generation vehicles.

Efforts by the automotive industry to accommodate the emerging CASE (connected cars, autonomous driving, sharing and services, and electric vehicles) and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) domains have led to a surge in complexity and sophistication of product and technology development. In addition, partnerships transcending corporate and industry boundaries are increasingly important for the ability to create the additional value demanded of next-generation vehicles.

In August 2020, Alps Alpine and TS TECH commenced technical workshops to explore the potential for collaboration on the creation of mobility spaces that trigger emotions, testing the traditional boundaries of the automobile. These activities revealed a strong affinity between the two companies not only around the technologies and product appeal each party brings, but also in terms of the customer base, corporate culture and communication among employees. Affirming that effective synergies can be tapped, the companies have signed a business alliance agreement looking ahead to the future, with a view to the joint development of cabin spaces for next-generation vehicles and joint proposals.

Under the agreement, Alps Alpine and TS TECH will draw on their respective strengths to give birth to high-value-added automotive cabin spaces realizing safety, emotion and comfort in mobility that were previously unachievable within their separate ranges of expertise.

Strengths of Alps Alpine and TS TECH

Alps Alpine

• Human-machine interfaces (HMI), sensing, connectivity and software-based system integration
• Decades of expertise and experience supplying diverse markets, including the automotive market and industrial, energy, home appliance, game console and mobile sectors
• A global supply chain of 110 bases spanning 26 countries and territories, supplying more than 2,000 customers worldwide

TS TECH

• Over 60 years of expertise in developing and manufacturing automotive seats and door trims, world-leading patent strength in the seat domain, and omnidirectional safety evaluation technology compatible with regulations and assessment frameworks worldwide
• Product development capabilities for achieving optimal integration of seats and devices realizing a wide range of functions, such as sensing, heating and audio, and a production system enabling commercialization and stable, global supply of high-quality, competitively priced products
• Solid ties established over many years with automakers worldwide with the ability to identify the needs of customers and users
  

Alps Alpine and TS TECH will together build a future vision for the cabin spaces required for next-generation vehicles of 2030 and beyond, at the same time pressing ahead with joint development of prototypes giving shape to that vision and quick commercialization.

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