The Magna-CTAG Joint Research Centre, CENIT, was launched in May 2022 thanks to the opportunity provided by the 2022 Call for Joint Research Units promoted by the Galician Regional Government through the Galician Innovation Agency.

The creation of the centre has provided continuity and greater depth to an existing close collaboration in R&D between Magna and CTAG which, although it has been taking place practically since the beginnings of the Technology Centre in 2002, took the form of a Joint Research Unit (JRU) in 2015, and was consolidated in 2018.

Main objective

CENIT's main objective is to maintain and strengthen the product development capabilities acquired from the R&D activities carried out in previous JRUs. In particular, the great potential that exists in the areas of design and development of innovative seat frames that respond to the technological evolution associated with the emergence of sustainable mobility, based on the electrification of transport and new scenarios of autonomous and automated driving, has been identified.

In parallel, and with the aim of contributing to the optimisation of the processes associated with the new products that are proposed, the centre will continue to research new manufacturing methodologies, especially related to the digitisation of processes and the use of advanced tools such as big data or artificial intelligence.

The roadmap established at the Joint Research Centre is largely dictated by the evolution of regulations and requirements for reinforcement designs and associated mechanisms. It is therefore essential to monitor developments in national and international application regulations, as well as new safety standards and test methods for the 2030 horizon, anticipating the needs of vehicle manufacturers so that they can respond quickly with previously studied solutions.

Two R&D lines

Two R&D lines have been established, which will make it possible to meet the established goals. Thus, the main line of work is aimed at developing new specific frames for electric and connected mobility, and the second line, designed to support the first, seeks to contribute to the development of the processes associated with the new products that are proposed, hand in hand with digitisation and advanced and sustainable manufacturing.

The Joint Research Centre’s main headquarters is located at the Magna Seating facilities in the Pontevedra municipality of O Porriño, with the aim of bringing together the team in an environment close to the development of functional seat frames for sustainable mobility and the validation laboratories located in the CTAG. 

CENIT is managed jointly and coordinated by the two entities, in a context of close collaboration in which a governance model has been established based on the figures of the management and monitoring committee, which reviews the strategic orientation of the centre and the work plan in its entirety, and the project team, which supervises its scientific-technical, financial and administrative progress.

Throughout the execution of the activities of the CENIT Joint Centre, which will last until September 2025, there will be a team of almost 30 people from the two entities, highly qualified specialists in areas such as product and process design, calculation, simulation and validation.