Sage Automotive Interiors is a portfolio company of Japan-based
Asahi Kasei
is a multinational Japanese chemical company. Its main products are chemicals and materials.
It was founded in May 1931, using the paid-in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki-based producer of ammonia, nitric acid ...
and a global supplier of
technical textile
Technical textiles are a category of textiles specifically engineered and manufactured to serve functional purposes beyond traditional apparel and home furnishing applications. These textiles are designed with specific performance characteristic ...
s for the
automotive industry
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...
. The company develops and produces automotive interior surfaces such as seating, door panels and automobile headliners that are used in cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans.
Sage Automotive Interiors specializes in fabric design, engineering and manufacturing. With corporate headquarters located on the campus of
Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research in
Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...
USA, Sage operates 22 design and support facilities in 18 countries, with plants in North America, Brazil, China, Japan, India, Thailand, Europe and Korea, and employees over 2,000 people.
History
Sage Automotive Interiors was established in 1948 as
Milliken Automotive Division. In the 1970s, the company became the first supplier to develop double-needle bar fabrics, acquiring Chrysler as a new U.S. customer and launching an export business with Japanese automakers Honda and Toyota. In 1984–85, the company began producing fabrics in North America for Honda and Toyota.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Milliken Automotive Division opened two new manufacturing facilities and added Nissan and Hyundai as customers. In 1996, the company opened a facility in Brazil and added Fiat and Volkswagen to its customer list.
Sage Automotive Interiors was officially established in 2009 by former Milliken & Co. executives.
Throughout the 2000s, Sage invested in new technology for yarn manufacturing, texturing, knitting, coating and face finishing, and in 2011, invested in weaving technology that allowed Sage to expand into the automotive headliners market.
[{{Cite web, url=https://upstatebusinessjournal.com/sage-automotive-interiors-buys-apollos-auto-portfolio/, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523212041/https://upstatebusinessjournal.com/sage-automotive-interiors-buys-apollos-auto-portfolio/, url-status=dead, archive-date=May 23, 2019, title=Sage Automotive Interiors buys Apollo's auto portfolio, date=2016-10-26, website=Upstate Business Journal, language=en-US, access-date=2019-05-23] In 2013, Sage established a location in China, acquired a facility in Poland and opened a facility in Mexico. And in 2014, Sage expanded into the premium seating market.
In 2018, Sage was acquired by
Asahi Kasei
is a multinational Japanese chemical company. Its main products are chemicals and materials.
It was founded in May 1931, using the paid-in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki-based producer of ammonia, nitric acid ...
.
References
Automotive companies of the United States