Nissha SurfaceWorks has been exploring “the comfort that people feel” through the way surfaces are designed. To create products that will continue to be comfortable for people living in the future, Nissha has organized an experiential program called “SurfaceWorks -Doors-” as an approach to envision a future we can empathize with alongside our clients and partner companies.

In recent years, there has been a global increase in awareness of sustainability issues as a significant societal change surrounding us. In today’s world, where changes are rapid and predicting a certain future is challenging, what approaches are needed to not only meet the needs of the times but also create products that will be felt as “comfortable” in the future?

When facing such significant challenges in the manufacturing field, which involves diverse stakeholders across countries and industries, it is essential not to seek solutions alone as a single company. Instead, it requires dialogue and the sharing of knowledge and experiences among all individuals involved in every process, transcending positions and boundaries. Through these opportunities, we believe it is possible to increase options that reduce environmental impact and foster new creativity for a better future.

In this article, we present the “SurfaceWorks -Doors-” event held in December 2024 with members of the Color & Sensory Design Div., Vehicle Development Center, TOYOTA MOTOR Co. (hereafter referred to as Toyota).

Anticipating Societal Changes and Considering a Better Mobility Life 10 Years from Now

In recent years, the mobility industry has been experiencing significant changes due to the shift towards electric vehicles, the expansion of autonomous driving capabilities, technological advancements, and evolving concepts and lifestyles regarding car ownership and mobility itself. These factors are leading to transformations in the types of mobility and services that will be required by society five or ten years from now.

Considering societal needs, how can we differentiate through CMF design (*1) and the standardization of functions to provide new experiential value? By predicting market trends and potential future societal developments, we aim to explore “comfort” that resonates with the sensibilities of people living in the future.

SurfaceWorks -Doors- Event Overview
Participants were primarily young members in their 20s, who are expected to live as stakeholders in the next generation. A total of 12 participants, six from each company, were gathered with the expectation of inheriting technology and knowledge, continuously building relationships between companies, and generating ideas that consider the future as their own concern. From NISSHA, members were selected from both the design and sales teams.


■ Day 1: Experience with Nissha IMD Technology and Tour of the Molding Factory
To deepen their understanding of Nissha’s core IMD technology, participants worked in pairs to mix corporate colors, and experienced the entire process from gravure printing to drying and molding.

■ Day 2: Workshop on Mobility Life of the Next 10 Years
Participants were divided into three groups to set tasks, discuss, present interim findings, and share ideas based on various inputs such as both companies’ perspectives on CMF design, trend research and analysis approaches, and material introductions for inspiration.

To elicit questions toward a desirable future, the inputs were carefully conducted. By considering trends from both a forecast starting from the near future (2-3 years ahead) and a backcast from the distant future visible through megatrends, we predicted the shape of mobility that will be required in society 10 years from now.

Input 1: Megatrends for the Next 10 Years
Takayuki Yamamoto, Trend Analysis Leader of the Design & CMF Group and workshop facilitator, presented the research and analysis used in the creation of Nissha Trend Vision, as well as the megatrends expected in Japan and abroad for 2030 and 2040. For example, in Japan, it will be necessary to consider mobility and CMF design while taking into account potential societal trends such as “addressing social issues arising from population decline ahead of other countries.”


Input 2: Material Inspiration
A corner was set up at the workshop venue displaying a vast archive of materials to provide participants with inspiration from information, colors, and textures. We also introduced recently developed materials, such as plant-based materials that allow for brilliant design expressions.


To generate ideas that resonate more deeply, we carefully allocated time for inputs. This allowed participants to understand each company’s perspectives and strengths before engaging in group discussions.

What Comfortable Mobility Means to the Young Members Shaping the Future

The participating members focused on approaches to solving future issues that are already becoming apparent and are expected to worsen, such as population decline and depopulation in rural areas, a super-information society, and achieving individual well-being in a diversifying society.

In the group discussions, it felt as though the conversations were not about distant futures or remote regions, but rather included many personal experiences and opinions as stakeholders, such as their hometowns and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ideation Using an Online Whiteboard

Selected Materials and CMF Samples

From the three groups, the following ideas were presented based on megatrends for the next 10 years, focusing on areas of interest and envisioning a desirable future for mobility and comfort:
・A combination of extroverted and introverted materials to propose time away from noise in an information-overloaded world.
・A mobility proposal that supports different life stages to address the issue of fewer childhood friends due to declining birthrates.
・A UI/UX approach that connects hometowns and cities, focusing on the gaps and boundaries that arise behind the concept of freedom.
These concepts and material coordination ideas were shared as ways to achieve the desired comfort in the future.

The discussions, which exceeded the initially planned time, were filled with an unexpected level of enthusiasm, and we once again realized the significance of co-creating ideas beyond positions and boundaries. Although the workshop was held within a limited timeframe, we believe that the participating members, who are thinking about the manufacturing of the next generation, were able to spend valuable time gaining insights for creating better products.

Feedback from Toyota’s participants included:
・By ideating with people from different perspectives and environments, we encountered thoughts and ideas that we couldn’t have reached on our own. This experience reaffirmed the value and significance of collaborating with people from various companies and professions.
・Communication from perspectives different from our usual work emerged, and we realized that although our ways of thinking and methods may differ, we share a common goal of aiming for a future where we can live richly.
・We were able to directly experience Nissha’s technology, which greatly deepened our understanding. It was impressive to see their proactive approach to developing new technologies.

Feedback from Nissha’s young members:
・Through face-to-face discussions with designers, I realized the necessity of dialogue to correctly understand the CMF design that clients want to achieve and to propose suitable methods for it.
・I felt the need to propose a comfortable total coordination while using sustainable materials.
・By ideating together from scratch, I could understand the background of why certain designs are desired, which broadened my perspective.
These insights were shared, making the two-day event an exciting opportunity to look forward to the future of manufacturing born through dialogue and empathy.

This event provided an opportunity to experience firsthand Toyota’s philosophy that “human relationships are essential for better manufacturing.” The process of ideating and contemplating a desirable future from potential scenarios 10 or 20 years ahead opened the door to empathy for both companies, who aim to enrich society through manufacturing.

At Nissha, we will continue to pursue timeless comfort and provide visually and tactilely enjoyable, soothing everyday experiences to people around the world through SurfaceWorks. Moving forward, we aim to foster collaboration opportunities through “SurfaceWorks -Doors-” to open new doors in manufacturing.

If you are interested in the “SurfaceWorks -Doors-” event or business partnerships with Nissha, please feel free to contact us.