Aviation leather supplier Muirhead has launched an integrated seat cover service for airlines, which it claims will disrupt traditional seating supply chains by eliminating an intermediary stage and ensuring complete traceability.
According to Muirhead, the service integrates all aspects of the production process, including initial design, fit checks, testing, certification, material production and manufacturing. The company says the approach will eliminate the need to coordinate with multiple suppliers and will reduce complexity, lead times and overall costs while enhancing quality control and accountability.
“We recruited industry experts to develop and enhance our unique manufacturing processes,” Martin Longden, head of cabin engineering at Muirhead, tells Aviation Week Network. Muirhead also invested in equipment and facilities as part of the service launch, growing the dedicated cabin engineering at its Glasgow site to eight. The Glasgow site will be supported by 80 staff at Muirhead’s cut-and-sew facility in Asia.
Ideally, leather seat covers must be designed for easy removal and reattachment to facilitate repairs or replacements during aircraft maintenance cycles. The frequency of replacements is a key differentiating factor between genuine leather and plastic or fabric seat covers. Longden says Muirhead leather achieves a lifespan of seven years or more.
“The best way to ensure leather covers are easy to remove and reattach is to engage with the seat cover supplier at the earliest stages of the design process,” he says. Longden adds that getting involved at the beginning of the process allows Muirhead to engineer covers that fit perfectly, stay crease-free and are easy to maintain. Early involvement also means Muirhead can dictate the Velcro [hook-and-loop fasteners] and attachment points, which aims to simplify the process of cleaning or replacing damaged covers.
“By addressing these considerations early on, we can make the design as maintenance friendly as possible,” Longden says. “This reduces turnaround time for repairs and helps operators keep aircraft in service with minimal disruption.”
In terms of potential customers for the new integrated service, Muirhead is working with several seat OEMs on line-fit programs, as well as a mix of low-cost and full-service airlines on retrofit programs.
“Our retrofit service is particularly comprehensive—we handle everything from design and engineering to EASA [European Union Aviation Safety Agency] mod approvals and Form 1 release,” says Longden.
Longden says airlines can benefit from a global on-wing patterning service and first shipset installation support to ensure a smooth transition. “In many cases, we can engineer out issues arising from previous poor design, improving both aesthetics and in-service life,” he says.
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