Fontaine Modification shared that a team of engineering students from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) worked with the company over the last year to successfully develop a device that will improve efficiency when removing seats from Freightliner MD 114SD and M2 trucks as they are converted for use as car carriers.

The project was part of the engineering college’s Senior Design Program that brings together students and industrial partners to tackle real-world engineering projects over the students’ final two semesters. Each design group works to develop a solution and manufacture a prototype device aimed at factory deployment.

“Fontaine has participated in the Senior Design Program for several years, and it is always so interesting to see what the students come up with,” says Tyler Thomas, Fontaine Modification mechatronics engineer and one of the team advisors. “They approach challenges with a fresh perspective. This year’s team did a great job developing an effective design for us, and we’re looking forward to getting it into production.”

The team of UNCC seniors (from left in the picture above) Alex Phan, Grayson Ledford, Benjamin Rizza, Hank Doan, Eric Sheffield and team mentor Tom Chervenak developed a prototype device that removes seats from truck cabs after the truck roofs have been removed, according to Fontaine Modification. The device then places the seats on the trucks’ frame rails while additional work is performed to prepare the vehicles for use as auto carriers. The company said using the device will make the seat-removal process more ergonomic and efficient for its workers.

Now that the project is complete, Fontaine Modification has taken the team’s final prototype and design documentation in-house to optimize it, and then will produce the equipment for use across its facilities that perform the car carrier modification.