Mormedi, a product and service innovation consultancy based in Madrid, Spain, has designed Solstys III, a third version of Sogerma’s popular business seat. Solstys III is 26in-wide, with a 76in-long bed, providing a spacious in-seat experience, together with increased storage space, enhanced privacy and improved access to the seat, while also affording a more spacious feel to the overall cabin. The seat can be easily adapted to the branding of each airline and is easy to maintain, according to Mormedi.
When Mormedi started to develop this new seat, the main challenge was in creating a design that provided improved comfort points while respecting technical and budget restrictions. An early investigation phase allowed Mormedi to gain key insights into the characteristics of different seat products and the experience, quality and competitive advantage they afford to airlines. On this basis, Mormedi was able to identify strategic areas of improvement with the goal to create a product that could compete successfully in the market place.
Seat quality was evaluated by applying a comprehensive framework of criteria that covered not only passenger comfort factors such as seat comfort, privacy, IFE and easy access, but also the needs of other important stakeholders such as airlines’ need for easy installation, maintenance and certification’ the seat manufacturer’s need for easy manufacturing assembly and differentiated product; and aircraft manufacturers’ need for plug-and-play solutions, capacity management and fast reconfiguration). Mormedi worked in close collaboration with Sogerma’s engineering team on several cycles of design iterations, including full-size, high fidelity prototyping.
