Manufacturer Johnson Controls Automotive Seating has teamed up with Detroit’s The Empowerment Plan to help train homeless women to efficiently and cost effectively manufacture coats that transform into sleeping bags for use by the homeless population in Detroit.
Help Homeless: The Empowerment Plan (Image Courtesy www.dbusiness.com)
The idea was hatched by Veronika Scott, a 25-year-old former design student who studied at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Recognizing Detroit’s large homeless population and the city’s sub-freezing temperatures, Scott brainstormed and came up with the idea for The Empowerment Plan.
Help Homeless: Coat Sleeping Bag (Image Courtesy www.empowermentplan.org)
Johnson Controls’ Eric Michalak, Chief Engineer of Advanced Product Development for Automotive Seating said, “we looked at their patterns, their operations, how they put things together, and their supply base and helped them come up with new designs that used less fabric.”
The following video focuses on The Empowerment Plan & Veronika Scott.
