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Lectra and The Myron E. Ullman, Jr. School of Design (UC DAAP) forge automotive partnership in higher education

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Lectra and The Myron E. Ullman, Jr. School of Design (UC DAAP) forge automotive partnership in higher education

Lectra's DesignConcept to be implemented by top-ranked American university's exploratory design studio

Paris, January 22, 2019 - Lectra has joined forces with an American university to devise an exciting new interdisciplinary course that is to explore emerging automotive interior design trends.

Lectra's Education Partnership Program is donating DesignConcept, its innovative virtual prototyping and development solution, to The Myron E. Ullman, Jr. School of Design at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (UC DAAP). Students with majors ranging from transportation to fashion and furniture design will learn how to develop product ideas using digital product-development techniques, including 3D modeling and 2D patternmaking.

DesignConcept enables makers of seating, dashboards and steering wheel covers for vehicles, marine vessels and aircraft to accelerate product development with collaborative virtual prototyping.

The Ullman School of Design, located in the state of Ohio, was ranked among the top five undergraduate industrial design programs in the United States in 2016 by consulting and research firm DesignIntelligence. The school's 5-year co-op internships give students the opportunity to gain experience working for high-profile car manufacturers including General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Tesla Motors and others.

The new studio topic, "The Future of Autonomous Vehicle Interiors: Materials and new Configurations", represents the first time hands-on training using DesignConcept will be provided to a multidisciplinary group of UC DAAP students. The studio will be offered starting in September 2019 and is open to students preparing for design careers in transportation, fashion, furniture design and other industries.

Lectra's longstanding partnership with the Ullman School of Design began in 2001. Committed to training the next generation of fashion students worldwide, Lectra provides more than 900 schools and universities with access to software and design expertise. Now that commitment has been extended to automotive interior design, which is undergoing major transformation brought about by self-driving and connected cars, shared mobility and electric vehicles.