NBHX, an automotive interior and exterior solutions supplier, has secured a mass-production award from a Chinese automaker for an exterior illuminated smart-surface application using TactoTek’s In-Mold Structural Electronics (IMSE) technology. It is the first mass-production nomination for IMSE in China and the first for the technology in exterior automotive lighting.

The application integrates lighting and electronics into a single ultra-thin structure, enabling exterior styling and brand differentiation. Mass production will run at NBHX’s new IMSE-dedicated factory in China, sited close to the customer’s vehicle assembly operations.

Selection in China, a market known for fast product cycles and exacting cost discipline, carries particular weight for IMSE’s broader ambitions. TactoTek provides the underlying technology platform, with NBHX operating as its licensee.

In a statement, Zhou Xiaofeng, Chairman of NBHX, said: “We see the opportunities IMSE technology opens up, and this award is clear evidence of them. China is bold and progressive in its approach to design and manufacturing, and across automotive lighting applications, IMSE delivers benefits that conventional technologies simply cannot match. We are proud to deliver this application for a major global automaker, and our investment in a dedicated new production facility reflects our long-term commitment to industrializing IMSE technology at scale, also beyond automotive, in areas such as human robotics.”

Source: TactoTek