Development, manufacture and maintenance of safety seats, parachute systems, cabin solutions and protection systems for aviation.
AUTOFLUG GmbH
Rellingen · UmmendorfNew on Amplifa
Rescue and safety of people – since 1919
AUTOFLUG GmbH is a mid-sized company founded in 1919 by aviation pioneer Gerhard Sedlmayr, headquartered in Rellingen (Schleswig-Holstein), which for over 100 years has developed, manufactured and maintained products and services for the rescue and safety of people in the air, on land and at sea. The portfolio includes textile safety seats (airSEAT, landSEAT, FLYWEIGHT), modular cabin solutions (airFLEX, airFAST, MULTIBASE), parachute and recovery systems, fuel measuring and control systems, sensors as well as test and inspection systems. Production takes place in three competence fields: textiles (parachutes, harnesses, textile damping systems), mechanics/fine mechanics (harness locks, structures, large-capacity containers) and electronics (hardware and software for measurement and control technology with laboratory tests in a climate chamber, vibration and burn-in). Customers include the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), Martin-Baker and Airbus – AUTOFLUG supplies safety seats in series production for the A400M program and maintains ejection seats for the TORNADO and EUROFIGHTER weapon systems. In addition to manufacturing, the company offers MRO, engineering with CAD/FEM simulation, Integrated Logistic Support, training and AOG support. As a civil and military approved aviation operation, AUTOFLUG is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and EN 9100:2018 and approved under EASA Part 21/G and Part 145.
- Site
- Rellingen
- Processes
- Manufacturing of textile components and systems (parachute systems, harnesses, textile damping, Mechanical and fine-mechanical component manufacturing (incl. harness locks, structures,, Electronic development and manufacturing with laboratory tests (climate chamber, vibration testing,, Joining techniques, Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of parachute systems, ejection seats (TORNADO,, Packing of parachute systems and emergency equipment, Development with CAD/FEM simulation, 3D modelling, dynamic analyses, reliability and, Manufacture of safety seats and occupant protection systems (airSEAT, landSEAT, FLYWEIGHT, A400M)
- Materials
- Textiles, Mechanics and Fine Mechanics, Electronics (Measurement and Control Technology)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, EN 9100:2018, EASA Part 21/G Manufacturing Organisation, EASA Part 145 Maintenance Organisation, EASA Part 21/G (Manufacturing), EASA Part 145 (Maintenance), AQAP 2110 / AQAP 2310 (NATO)
- Founded
- 1919
- Industries
- Aviation industry (civil and military), Defence technology, Rescue and safety technology
- 01
Engineering/Development (CAD/FEM, simulation, qualification)
- 02
Textile manufacturing (parachutes, harnesses, safety seats)
- 03
Mechanical and fine-mechanical component manufacturing
- 04
Electronic development and manufacturing
- 05
Assembly and system integration
- 06
Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
- 07
Customer support, logistics and training
Competences: Textiles, Mechanics, Electronics
Textiles
Basis for parachute systems, harnesses, textile damping systems and textile safety seats with special processing methods.
Mechanics and Fine Mechanics
Robust, lightweight components such as harness locks, structures and large-capacity containers to aviation requirements.
Electronics (Measurement and Control Technology)
Hardware and software for fuel measurement systems, motion and attitude sensors as well as test and inspection systems.
Sites
Rellingen
DEHeadquarters: development, design, manufacturing, sales, maintenance, repair
- Materials
- Textiles, mechanical and electronic components
- Manufacturing of textile components and systems
- Fine-mechanical component manufacturing
- Electronics laboratory with climate chamber, vibration testing, burn-in
Ummendorf
DEBranch: maintenance, repair and documentation of rescue and safety systems, safety seats
Products and Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing of textile components and systems (parachute systems, harnesses, textile dampingPlastics | – | – | – | – | Textiles |
| Mechanical and fine-mechanical component manufacturing (incl. harness locks, structures,Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Electronic development and manufacturing with laboratory tests (climate chamber, vibration testing,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Joining techniquesJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of parachute systems, ejection seats (TORNADO,Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Packing of parachute systems and emergency equipmentAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Development with CAD/FEM simulation, 3D modelling, dynamic analyses, reliability andEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of safety seats and occupant protection systems (airSEAT, landSEAT, FLYWEIGHT, A400M)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Textiles |
| Manufacture of parachute and recovery systems (deceleration, braking and recovery parachutes)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Textiles |
| Manufacture of fuel measurement systems, motion and attitude sensors, test and inspection systemsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of multifunctional pallets (cargo bay)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality Management and Approvals
As a civil and military approved aviation operation, AUTOFLUG ensures a consistently high quality level from component procurement to delivery; contracts from public customers routinely involve the customer's own inspection services. Electronics undergo laboratory tests in a climate chamber, vibration testing and burn-in.
| Evidence | Rellingen | Ummendorf |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | ||
| EN 9100:2018 | ||
| EASA Part 21/G (Manufacturing) | ||
| EASA Part 145 (Maintenance) | ||
| AQAP 2110 / AQAP 2310 (NATO) |
Company History
- 1891
Birth of aviation pioneer Gerhard Sedlmayr (1891-1952), flight student of the Wright Brothers
- 1913
Sedlmayr achieves over six hours of non-stop flight at the Johannisthal Autumn Flight Weeks
- 1919
Founding of AUTOFLUG by Gerhard Sedlmayr on 1 October in Berlin-Johannisthal as a 'specialist house for the AUTOmobile and FLUGwesen (aviation)'.
- 1928
Start of cooperation with IRVIN, introduction of modern rescue parachute systems in Germany
- 1931
Licensed production of IRVIN rescue parachutes, introduction of the AUTOFLUG central lock
- 1955
Re-establishment of the company by Dr. med. Gerhard Sedlmayr in Hamburg
- 1958
Relocation of headquarters to Rellingen; start of overhaul, maintenance and licensed production of Martin-Baker ejection seats in Germany
- 1968
Retrofitting of around 900 STARFIGHTER F-104 G aircraft of the Bundeswehr with Martin-Baker MkGQ7A ejection seats
- 1989
Start of development and manufacture of safety seats for helicopters
- 1992
Expansion to include fuel measuring and control systems
- 2000
Development of protective equipment for aircraft crews
- 2002
Development of textile safety seats for transport aircraft and military land vehicles
- 2006
Development of modular aviation cabin solutions (Cabin Solutions)
- 2007
Cooperation model with the Bundeswehr for rescue and safety equipment
- 2009
Start of series production of safety seats for the Airbus A400M program; introduction of the G-Race Suit for the Red Bull Air Race
- 2011
IMRuS study: consortium (Autoflug, ESG, Schuberth, Secumar, Ceotronics, BE Aerospace) develops future helmet system
- 2012
Delivery of NBC protection equipment for flying personnel (AFP-Jet)
- 2014
Gerhard Sedlmayr Lecture on 100 years of aviation history
- 2018
Start of series production of seat pallets for transport aircraft and helicopters (A400M approved)
- 2022
First MULTIBASE, after A400M testing by Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 61, handed over to the Franco-German air transport squadron in Évreux for investigation of use in the C-130