Embracing In-House Metal and Plastic for Better Seat Belt Production

Today, we don’t think about the safety features of a car every time we get in one, or the thousands of lives seat belts save every time we buckle our own. But when it comes to keeping life moving, seat belts are just as important as the car itself.

Seat belts are a critical component of everyday life, and something the world counts on manufacturers to provide. There’s tremendous pressure in this industry to deliver error-free parts to keep the supply chain running smoothly, and vehicles as safe as they can be.

So, when a tier-one seat belt manufacturer began experiencing quality issues and delivery delays, they knew it wouldn’t just be a problem for car manufacturers—it would be a problem for all drivers out there.

The Single-Supplier Solution

Juggling multiple suppliers made it hard for this seat belt manufacturer to establish who was at fault when something went wrong. Moving to a single supplier would not only eliminate finger pointing, but streamline production and make it easier overall to control quality. For them, finding one supplier with in-house metal and plastic technical power was key. 

As their primary partner, we began producing high-quality, error-free products with faster turnaround times at competitive costs. This unparalleled efficiency brings together the time-cost-quality triangle.

Unmatched Quality Control

When it comes to part quality, our reputation is on the line just as much as the manufacturer’s and we go to great lengths to protect a product’s integrity. 

Metal stamping and plastic overmolding are completed right here in our facilities, to ensure quality standards are upheld, we work with one key partner for metal finishing—the nation’s largest privately held heat treating company trusted by automotive OEMs worldwide. 

Before the high-carbon metal steel tongues are ready for plastic, they’re loaded onto our own trucks and hand delivered for heat treating and deburring and finishing. Then each lot is brought back to our facility for rigorous tensile testing and finishing approval. In this first round of quality checks, only lots that meet or exceed the force limitations threshold and aesthetic standards are deemed viable for consumers. 

The plastic overmolding goes through its own round of detailed quality checks. We use a combination of human touch and precise vision systems to conduct comprehensive web slot checks for short shots, problematic flash. Our process is meticulous by design and allows us to produce lot after lot with zero rejects.

Steady Success

Over the course of 30 years, we’ve grown with this leading manufacturer to help meet increasing demand of the automotive industry. We’re now producing  millions of seat belts for them every year, but our mission has always remained the same; to never sacrifice quality regardless of quantity.