PRODUCTS & S ER V ICES
LEAN AND GREEN
With SkyLeather synthetic leather, Autostop Aviation has introduced automotive
quality standards and lean manufacturing principles to the aviation industry
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
MARCH 2020 207
he south of Serbia is
historically the largest textile
manufacturing area in Europe
T
outside of Manchester, and Autostop
Aviation is helping this tradition to
continue. The company, with its
headquarters and factories in Leskovac
employing more than 1,200 staff, has
become one of the largest seat cover
manufacturing facilities in Europe,
making covers for both the automotive
and aviation sectors.
Autostop also has a second facility
a few miles away at Bojnik, where a
€4 million investment has been made
to develop and produce SkyLeather, a
revolutionary synthetic leather designed
specifically for the aviation sector.
Jonathan Robinson, CEO of Autostop
Aviation explains, “SkyLeather is the
future, as it offers unparalleled
durability properties and is easier to
maintain than leather or fabric seats
due to its easy-clean lacquering
technology. The high elasticity of
SkyLeather gives passengers enhanced
comfort. It is also a 100% vegan product,
even though it has the look and feel
of real leather, which is an important
aspect in an increasingly moral and
‘green’ society.
“SkyLeather is also considerably
lighter than cowhide leather, so an airline
customer’s CO2 footprint can be reduced
through reduced fuel burn. These
properties, combined with unique
environmentally friendly manufacturing
process for the material, makes
SkyLeather an industry-leading choice
for eco-friendly airlines,” adds Robinson.
Although Autostop keeps many
colours and grains of SkyLeather in
stock, the company can also match any
customer requirements at its in-house
laboratory. The Bojnik facility is
responsible for most of the company’s
customer, a world-leading proponent of
lean methodology: a methodology which
runs through all levels of the business.
The aviation industry has been
impressed with the environmental
benefits of SkyLeather, so much so
that seat manufacturer, Mirus, will
be displaying SkyLeather on its new
seats at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX)
2020 in Hamburg. This launch will
showcase a completely new product
that brings together the latest in seat
design and seat cover materials for
the first time.
production of aviation seat covers, and
having the majority of SkyLeather
manufacturing under one roof means
that airlines’ supply chain efficiencies can
be improved as there are no shipping
costs to consider.
By offering a ‘one-stop shop’,
Autostop can implement lean processes
that lead to a reduction in waste, which
is an important point to note as these
savings are passed back to the customer
to keep pricing competitive, while
maintaining the very high standards
introduced from automotive production.
Autostop has implemented embedded
lean and six sigma principles, introduced
in conjunction with its largest automotive
AUTOSTOP
MANUFACTURES
WITH A QUALITY
TOLERANCE OF
1MM, WHICH IS
REVOLUTIONARY
FOR AVIATION.
AIRLINE
CUSTOMERS
ARE BENEFITING
FROM THE
COMPANY’S
EMBEDDED
AUTOMOTIVE
STANDARDS
Try SkyLeather
for yourself at
Aircraft Interiors
Expo, stand
1UB30
FREE READER ENQUIRY SERVICE
To request more details from Autostop Aviation,
visit www.magupdate.co.uk/paii
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
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