TactoTek®, Geely Design and CEVT Initiate Automotive Interiors Project in Printed, In-Mold Electronics

Geely Design to lead Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE™) design solutions of interior smart surfaces with CEVT. 

OULU, FINLAND/ Gothenburg, SWEDEN (20 February, 2019) – Today, Geely Design, CEVT and TactoTek® jointly announced that they have initiated projects to develop smart surfaces for multiple automotive brands owned by CEVT’s parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The current interiors project is the first of several anticipated by the framework agreement between the companies.

CEVT is developing technology for several brands in the Geely Group family, who had a combined annual volume of 2,15 million vehicles in 2018. The platform developed by CEVT, the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), is currently shared by Lynk & Co vehicles, the Volvo XC 40 and will also be in coming Geely models.

For interior design, CEVT works closely with their sister organization, Geely Design, a global organization with design centers in Sweden, the UK, Spain, the USA and China.

“CEVT focuses a great deal in new innovative technologies and TactoTek’s IMSE technology complements our future ambitions with light, thin, conformal electronics that are both beautiful and durable, and use up to 75% less plastic than traditional electronics assemblies,” says Didier Schreiber, SVP of Innovation at CEVT.

“In addition, IMSE technology gives Geely Design new degrees of freedom to realize our design vision with innovative product design and intuitive functions”, says Andreas Nilsson, SVP of Geely Design Sweden.

TactoTek develops and commercializes IMSE technology. Much of the company’s work in developing design rules and proving the IMSE technology platform has been in partnership with automotive OEMs and their suppliers to meet demanding automotive use cases. For the automotive market, TactoTek licenses its technology and know-how so OEMs and brands can purchase IMSE parts manufactured by their established suppliers.

“The cost-efficient and scalable approach of CEVT’s and Geely’s platform-based strategy matches well with IMSE technology. Within a specific brand, they can easily use the same tooling for an IMSE part across multiple vehicles and customize cosmetics and electronic functions with additive printing processes for different models or trim levels. This operating model supports design and engineering optimization because that investment is reusable many times over,” noted Jussi Harvela, TactoTek CEO.

About TactoTek
TactoTek is a leading provider of solutions for Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE) that integrate printed circuitry and electronic components into 3D injection molded plastics. Leading use cases include in-vehicle applications, home/industrial appliances, and wearable technology. TactoTek adapts customer designs to IMSE technology, develops mass production ready prototypes, and mass produces or licenses the technology for 3rd party mass production. TactoTek is funded by Conor Venture Partners, Ascend Capital Partners, Faurecia Ventures, Plastic Omnium, Nanogate, VTT Ventures and Leaguer VC. For more information, please visit www.tactotek.com

About Geely Design

Geely Design is a multi-cultural global network of studios dedicated to supporting the efforts of Geely Auto Group sub brands including Geely Auto, Lynk & Co, LEVC, PROTON and Lotus. With total staff of approximately 900, the network is based in Shanghai, Gothenburg, Barcelona, California, Kuala Lumpur and soon Coventry, and are overseen by Peter Horbury, Executive Vice President of Design at Geely Auto Group. For more information visit www.geelydesign.com