Grammer : presenting innovations at Agritechnica 2017 for even smarter sitting comfort in agricultural machinery

Amberg, November 12, 2017 - At Agritechnica 2017 in Hanover, Grammer will be presenting an innovative app concept for measuring the driver's individual exposure to vibration. Located at the interface between the human and the machine, the driver seat plays a crucial role in reducing the vibration to which the driver is exposed while operating the machine. For this reason, Grammer has been exploring this issue intensively for many years and shows a sensor system integrated in the seat upholstery which measures vibration during operations and transfers the results continuously to an app installed on a smartphone via a Bluetooth connection. This allows individual exposure to vibration to be tracked and documented. The driver is alerted as soon as the thresholds defined in EU Directive 2002/44/EC are reached or exceeded. The data can also be sent to a PC for further analysis.

Comfort upgrade for driver seats
Grammer is also unveiling the well-known Maximo Evolution and Actimo Evolution driver seats in a new look with additional comfort functions. The upgrade with the new S700 seat top features pneumatic side support, allowing the seat to be adjusted even more individually to the user's requirements and offering heightened side support. The active seat climate control system has now become more effective with an up to 40% increase in performance compared with the previous active climate control system.

The innovative Grammer seating system supports the natural cooling effect of human skin. The active seat climate system employs the positive characteristics of activated coal: sweat produced by the body where it comes into contact with the seat is removed by the material of the seat cover and temporarily stored in the layer of activated carbon beneath. This ensures that the surface of the seat remains dry even in extreme heat. Located beneath the activated carbon, the ventilation layer is a further 'level' in which cool and dry air is able to flow freely. The ventilation layer removes the moisture from the activate carbon, thus ensuring that the driver remains dry and comfortable. A further positive effect is that the body is not directly exposed to blowing air. This prevents draughts and the adverse effect they may have on the driver's health. The optimized climate control system is supplemented with dual-level seat heating that provides cozy warmth in cold temperatures.

In the interests of operating convenience, Grammer has also systematically implemented its 'Design for Use' philosophy with the S700 seat top. 'Design for Use' is based on a tactile operating philosophy which assumes that we unconsciously learn through touch. The shape, direction of movement and feedback of the controls are designed to be characteristic of the function in question and follow a logic that the driver can instinctively understand. In addition, the switches are placed on different levels according to their importance. The first level contains the controls that are used the most frequently, while the ones that are required only rarely can be found on the second level. Consequently, drivers are able to adopt the ergonomically best seating position even without reading the instruction manual despite the diverse settings that the seats now offer.

Add-on seat covers for individual seat design
Another new concept which Grammer will be displaying is a solution for add-on seat covers which are zipped to the seat. One part of the zip is integrated in the original seat cover along the welted seam. The add-on seat cover can be zipped onto the seat simply and quickly. Among other things, summer and winter seat covers, leather covers as well as more exotic designs to individualize the driver seat are available. The color and contour of the zip have been deliberately integrated as design elements. Depending on the material, the swappable seat covers can be washed, thus helping farmers to keep the driver seat clean without too much effort. In addition to protecting the original seat cover from soiling, the add-on seat covers also offer wide scope for individualizing the driver seat. The add-on seat covers also offer advantages when the vehicle is used by different drivers - e.g. loan staff - as they can be replaced effortlessly, thus enhancing the individual driver's comfort and wellbeing.

Company profile
Located in Amberg, Germany, Grammer AG specializes in the development and production of components and systems for automotive interiors as well as suspension driver and passenger seats for onroad and offroad vehicles. In the Automotive Division, we supply headrests, armrests, center console systems and high-quality interior components and operating systems to premium automakers and automotive system suppliers. The Commercial Vehicle Division comprises seats for the truck and offroad seat segments (tractors, construction machinery, forklifts) as well as train and bus seats. With over 12,000 employees, Grammer operates in 19 countries around the world. Grammer shares are listed in the SDAX and traded on the Frankfurt and Munich stock exchanges via the electronic trading system Xetra.

Download press information