EWI Headquarters, Columbus, Ohio

Surface engineering is a vast and growing field characterized by an array of processes, materials, markets, applications, and service environments (wear, corrosion, combinations thereof, etc.) for which cost-effective solutions are required. A surface engineering analog in terms of size and deposition rate may be from ion implantation to explosive cladding. Based on the very wide array of possibilities, the market tends to be fragmented and daunting, particularly to anyone new to the field. The need to independently assess the ever-growing array of existing and new materials joining solutions is now greater than ever.

Join us March 28-29 at EWI in Columbus, Ohio for a comprehensive 2-day technical seminar on the fascinating field of surface engineering.  We will explore the realms of possibility, and highlight some new and novel directions for surface engineering. Topics will include:

•  Electrostatic dissipative material (ESD)
•  RSS processes/RSW for cladding
•  Thermal spray processes
•  HMI oxidation resistant coatings
•  Weld cladding and hardfacing
•  Surface modification, coating, and laser stripping
•  Residual stress and residual stress mitigation
•  Mechanical testing requirements, tribology
•  Dissimilar materials and corrosion testing
•  Inorganic coatings
•  NDE of coatings and “weld overlays”

Along with the valuable technical content, this seminar also provides an excellent opportunity for you to network. Plus, we’ll feed you lunch both days!

Register now.   Details.

Want to be a sponsor? You can choose a sponsorship package when you register.

Can’t make the trip? Contact us about options for participating remotely.

If you have any questions, contact Wanda Newman at 614.688.5186 or wnewman@ewi.org

Bryan Kinnamon, with his strong industry background in general business management and leadership, joined The Ohio State ILO in 2011, focusing on CFAES collaborations. “What we are trying to do is build the foundations for a long-standing relationship with industry organizations. This association, with industry strategic partners, will provide the researchers at Ohio State the opportunity to interact with leading-edge commercial technologies and provide access to alternative sources of funding  as the availability of public funding is shrinking and increasingly more competitive.” “It works when we succeed in creating a dynamic and sustainable opportunity for our students, faculty, researchers, and the institution. These strategic relationships become an asset to the University, the State of Ohio, and the global community along with providing unique resources to the companies involved,” Kinnamon explained. The CFAES ILO will focus on Ohio State expertise in the areas of food security, production and human health, advanced bioenergy and biobased products, environmental quality, and sustainability. This will provide the opportunity to develop and cultivate a sustainable strategic partnership with Cargill.

“When cultivating a lead for any company new to a potential collaboration with Ohio State, early in the process we do our own research and learn everything we can about the company and its business,” said Kinnamon.  “We do what any good researcher would do, we select the best key words and phrases, search broadly, and then select the expertise and technologies at Ohio State that might be good target candidates for working with the company of interest,” he said. “We also touch base with any current activities the company has with Ohio State. Then we can sit down with them and determine whether it makes sense for them and us to consider becoming strategic partners.”

When Ohio State and Cargill sat down to discuss strategic partnering, “We found out that Cargill wanted access to students with whom they can work now and possibly hire after graduation,” Kinnamon said. Some of the discussion revolved around how students at CFAES could enhance their expertise in such aligned subject matter areas as accounting, engineering, and other skills that would result in a broad-based education very well suited for agribusiness.

A second aspect of the initial meetings with Cargill produced some common agreements on potentially beneficial research that is aligned Cargill’s needs. These areas of mutual interest can be starting points for expanding and building the Cargill-Ohio State relationship and can lead to sustainable collaborations.

The initial discussions focused on building engagement on multiple levels within the University and Cargill, defining ways to involve students and their education, building the Cargill brand on campus, and defining how the relationship with Cargill would contribute positively to the University’s land grant mission (education, outreach, and research). The discussions demonstrated ownership, acceptance, responsibility, and the possibility of long-term investments in the relationship within both organizations. “There were open discussions related to vision, strategic plans, tangible needs, possible key initiatives, and general provisions for project management,” Kinnamon said.

This renewed emphasis began with a follow-up to a meeting that CFAES Dean Bobby Moser and Keith Smith, Associate Dean and Director of The Ohio State University Extension had with Cargill’s Sidney, Ohio soy processing plant.  From this initial contact, Kinnamon is working to involve more people in more divisions of Cargill, to broaden the contacts, expand the definition of Cargill’s needs, and spread the message about what Ohio State can offer. So what started with one person at the Cargill soy processing plant in Sidney, Ohio, has now morphed into contacts with the animal nutrition, grain marketing, and meat products divisions. To complement this effort, Kinnamon is actively involved the CFAES Development Office and Academic Affairs Offices, to help evolve the broad-based endeavor necessary to sustain a solid strategic partnership.

As of early 2012, the initial steps toward the objective of establishing the foundational relationship have shown promise and have identified specific areas to be developed to the mutual benefit of both organizations. Cargill’s presence at the November 2, 2011 CFAES career fair and on campus recruiting was highly visible. The lead program managers for Cargill also met with Dean Moser’s office and with Dr. Linda Martin, Associate Dean and Director of Academic affairs and her staff. Cargill was also represented in the Food Innovation Centers/Nationwide Children’s Hospital second annual conference on childhood obesity.

For further information on strategic partnerships with CFAES, contact Bryan Kinnamon at 330-263-3733 or via email at kinnamon.13@osu.edu.
**

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial, and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, this privately held company employs 138,000 people in 63 countries.
Cargill helps its customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to sharing its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental, and social challenges. Cargill has a very diverse, international business portfolio and is privately owned.

The Industry Liaison Office was created within CFAES in June 2011 following the creation of an Industry Liaison office in the Office of Research in 2008 and a similar position in the College of Engineering in 2010. It is planned to also create an Industrial Liaison office in the College of Medicine in 2012. These offices, staffed with associates bringing significant industry experience to the University, will facilitate the ability to link Significant Industry representatives with the strategic thrust of the University: Health, Food, and Energy.

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is the singular research and development hub for AgBiosciences research in Ohio and is the center for associated education and human capital development. As such, it is ideally positioned to lead Ohio and The Ohio State University in realizing progress in all significant aspects of the bioeconomy. CFAES has identified three signature areas that align the state’s highest needs with the college’s greatest strengths: 1) food security, production, and human health; 2) environmental quality and sustainability; and 3) advanced bioenergy and biobased products. CFAES is focused on advancing education, scholarship, knowledge, and information dissemination within these three areas.

Drilling for natural gas in the Utica Shale formation and a second formation, known as the Marcellus Shale, underway in southeastern Ohio for the past few years, is dwarfed by the thousands of Marcellus Shale wells already operating in Pennsylvania. The Marcellus has a smaller footprint in Ohio than the Utica and lies beneath Ohio’s easternmost counties. The Utica deposits are geologically older and lie below the Marcellus formations.
In reality, the confirmation that Ohio could move into a new realm of energy production and thereby create hundreds of new jobs, also drew mixed reviews from environmentalists, industries, municipalities, and economists, concerned about groundwater contamination and other issues. Oil recovery from shale is going to stay a hot topic in Ohio for quite a while. The controversy stems from the way that natural gas is extracted from the shale.
Hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking,” blasts chemical-laced water into the ground to access stores of gas in the once out-of-reach shale formations, on  average  7,000 to nearly 10,000 feet underground. The actual amount of gas contained in these deposits has not been fully determined. However, with fracking technology now available, as much as 100 years of natural gas supply could be available, thereby significantly reducing the US dependence on foreign oil.
Earlier in 2011, the business-backed Ohio Shale Coalition was created to promote the economic benefits of hydraulic fracturing. The coalition says a group of Ohio universities will do an economic impact study, with preliminary results available before year end. Also in 2011, Ohio opened up parks and other public land to drilling over opposition from environmentalists.

Jack R. Pounds, President of the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council, recently discussed the Utica Shale formation in terms that easily translate to the Marcellus. Pointing out that high energy costs, which have been evolving since the 1970s oil embargo, have led to the declining manufacturing base that has severely damaged Ohio’s economy, Pounds said, “Shale gas can be a game changer.” It could change the world.

Fracking technology is at the heart of this game changing scenario, according to Pounds. “Until fairly recently, vertical wells were the only option for extracting natural gas. Now, hydraulic fracturing using vertical shaft and horizontal drilling has revolutionized oil and gas drilling. One well using horizontal hydraulic fracturing can produce the same amount of gas/oil as 25 of the old vertical wells—and with a horizontal reach of 10,000 ft.”

Pounds also pointed out that Ohio leaders are currently working hard with key chemical industry leaders to consider locating a natural gas “cracker” in Ohio in the midst of the shale fields.  A “cracker,” which would represent an investment upwards of $ 2 billion, would produce ethane, propane, and other components in the gas.  He commented, “Having a chemical facility in Ohio that can ‘crack’ the shale gas and produce the basic ‘building blocks’ that are relied on by the chemical industry would revitalize Ohio as a center of chemical industry investment.  I would expect a dramatic surge of investment in new and expanded chemical production in Ohio as companies would try to locate facilities near the source of the most critical raw materials for the American chemical industry.”
An Associated Press article on July 30, 2011 reported that Consol Energy drilled a Utica well that produced 1.5 million cubic feet of gas in a day in Belmont County in eastern Ohio. The company plans to spend $35 million drilling six exploratory Utica wells this year. The article went on to state that 17 Utica shale wells had been drilled in Ohio as of late May, according to data from the Department of Natural Resources.
The Dayton Daily News (September 10, 2011) listed the following moves and announcements during just that week, to indicate how fast the issue is coming to a head.
• Hess Corp., said it expanded its reach into shale deposits with a series of lease purchases in Ohio worth $750 million. The latest purchases give Hess 85,000 acres that it expects to begin exploring in the fourth quarter.
• David Mustine, a former oil company executive and chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, changed jobs to work for the new JobsOhio economic development office as general manager for energy. Mark Kvamme, JobsOhio chief investment officer, said “Oil and gas in Eastern Ohio has the potential to permanently transform that end of the state and position Ohio overall for a renaissance in manufacturing that depends on the low-cost, reliable energy that shale can provide.”
• State Sen. Michael J. Skindell, D-Lakewood, introduced legislation calling for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing until federal review of environmental impacts.
• Chesapeake Energy Corp., the Oklahoma City-based company, told shareholders it had leased 1.25 million acres to get at the deep Ohio Utica Shale formation. Chesapeake estimated, based on two years of drilling, that it could be worth up to $20 billion to the company. It spent $1 billion just to lease the acreage. Chesapeake’s CEO Aubrey McClendon, with a huge stake in potential Ohio gas reserves, lashed out at critics during an industry meeting, calling them fear-mongering extremists who want Americans to live in a world where “it’s cold, it’s dark, and we’re all hungry.”
Meanwhile, not every state is welcoming fracking with open arms. New Jersey’s Republican Gov. Chris Christie late last month vetoed a permanent ban on fracking, but imposed a one-year fracking moratorium so that state and federal regulators could evaluate its safety. New York has a moratorium in place, and fracking bans have been imposed in the cities of Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Detroit.
Obviously, the fracking technology is going to be the subject of a lot of interest and likely technology advances in the near future. The stakes are high. As Pounds says, “Natural gas is a source of feedstocks for high value-added products of chemistry that are needed to sustain American industry. Access to low-cost natural gas can revitalize the U.S. chemical industry, and with it, much of Ohio’s economy.”
Pounds cautions that sustainable development of shale gas needs to be done correctly. “We will need to manage development in partnership with communities, the State, and private enterprise.” “Although few problems have occurred to date, those problems have all related to design and operational failures that are being addressed by Ohio legislation, such as SB 165.”
With provision for well design and operation, disposal of fracturing chemicals, air and water monitoring / protection, and process disclosure, SB 165 is a major step towards protecting the environment while gaining affordable access to a huge resource. “Doing it right will include addressing local issues, pipelines, environmental concerns, and strategies for how local communities can best benefit,” says Pounds. Done properly, voluntary and legislated controls on fracking can result in giving southeastern Ohio a share of economic wealth and provide for the U.S. a major decrease in the dependence on foreign oil.
**
PolymerOhio, Inc. is a polymer industry-specific Ohio Edison Technology Center, which is funded by the Ohio Economic Development Agency. PolymerOhio focuses on enhancing the global competitiveness of the polymer industry, including companies from the plastics, rubber, bioproducts, and advanced materials segments. For more information, go to http://www.polymerohio.org.

The Ohio Chemistry Technology Council exists to represent the chemistry industry in the public policy arena in Ohio; to advance understanding of the contributions of chemistry to our modern lifestyle; and to promote the highest standards of environmental, health, safety, and security performance. The Ohio Chemistry Technology Council is a member-driven organization–with each member company having an equal voice in establishing the Council’s priorities.  Since 1988, the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council has been the only organization in Ohio dedicated exclusively to advancing the interests of companies engaged in the business of chemistry.  That sole focus on the chemistry industry allows the Council’s members to work together to pursue mutually beneficial policy outcomes, and to offer Council programs and services that address the chemistry industry’s unique character and interests.

In her new role, Ms. Noe will split her time between serving the College of Engineering and general industry liaison work across Ohio State, which could include, for example, efforts with the College of Arts & Sciences, various technology-based departments, College of Public Health, and other Colleges. Her campus office is in Bolz Hall.

Joining OC in 1983, Ms. Noe held positions in R&D, manufacturing, and sales, most recently, as Director of Innovation. At OC, she was instrumental in transforming the Residential Roofing market and business segment via national commercialization of a revolutionary new residential shingle product; delivering the largest first-year sales and profitability for any product in OC’s history; and starting up of a green field manufacturing facility to launch a next generation fiberglass material. Well versed in the need for industry-academic partnerships and the power of leveraging business opportunities, she brings deep expertise in the business-technical environment. One of her primary skill sets is in taking an idea or concept through prototype, pilot, startup, and success in the field to commercialization, thereby delivering the products needed by industry and consumers.

Ms. Noe is very active in the community; notably, she serves as President of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Licking County and member of the Board for the Central Ohio Youth Ballet. She and her husband, Jeff Noe, have one daughter.
The Industry Liaison Office (ILO) was launched in December 2008 to found and foster mutually beneficial relationships with industry and organizations worldwide by brokering the alignment of Ohio State’s core capabilities in learning, discovery and innovation, and services with industry needs; creating dynamic and sustainable assets for our partners, State of Ohio and the global community. The ILO links the university’s immense assets to the needs of industry to drive ideas for research, new products, improved processes, and an expansion of services offered. Sharell Mikesell, Ph.D., Associate Vice President, leads the ILO.  He is assisted by Daniel Kramer, Ph.D., ILO Director, College of Engineering, and Bryan Kinnamon, ILO Director, College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Science.

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As part of the Biopolymer Exchange 2011, American and French academics and manufacturers featured automotive industry applications for biopolymers, and arranged for representatives from the three French clusters, in partnership with the French Embassy Trade Office, UBIFRANCE, to visit 15 innovative companies and laboratories at three polymer rock star locations in the U.S. – Iowa (Ames); Ohio (Columbus and Akron); and Michigan (Dearborn) between September 25 to 30, 2011. The main goals of the visit were to further the French companies’ knowledge of the American biopolymer industry and discuss opportunities to develop trans-Atlantic partnerships.

To kick off the Ohio visit, Kenny McDonald of Columbus 20/20, central Ohio’s regional economic development organization welcomed the delegation. Then, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s regional representative, Ben Famous, personally addressed the French Trade Commission and spoke of Ohio’s burgeoning biobased manufacturing industry at a forum hosted by PolymerOhio and the Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC). “Ohio’s emerging biobased industry is led by two of our strongest industries: agriculture and manufacturing,” Famous said. “With more than 100 companies manufacturing cutting-edge, biobased products, Ohio is equipped to meet demand both domestically and internationally.”  Famous welcomed the French guests to Ohio with the conviction that the delegation would be impressed by Ohio’s innovative biobased businesses. He acknowledged that he looks forward to working with PolymerOhio and OBIC to collaborate with the French delegation and create jobs throughout the State. The venue for this event was the newly renovated Columbus Museum of Art.

Famous pointed out that one reason why Ohio is so attractive to the French delegation is that Ohio was the first American state to adopt a biobased procurement program – largely based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture BioPreferred® Program, which requires purchasing preference for bioproducts when available and also involves USDA certification and award of labels to qualifying products to increase consumer recognition of biobased products.

Marie Vavassori-Fundis, UBIFRANCE Senior Trade Advisor, accompanied the delegation across America. She said, “The French plastics industry identified Ohio’s polymer network as strong, with an abundance of high technology and innovative solutions to manufacturing challenges. Three years ago, UBIFRANCE proposed to introduce French companies within France’s organized polymer clusters to companies and researchers in the U.S. to explore channels of collaboration or to purchase technologies.” With the help of the ODOD, UBIFRANCE began working with PolymerOhio and OBIC and the French-American Forum was created. This year’s Biopolymer Exchange was the big event that resulted.

R. Kent Marsden, Assistant to the Dean, College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, at the University of Akron hosted the French delegation on that leg of their journey. In Akron, the visitors toured the Polymer Science Institute, met with researchers and specialists, and met with local companies.

One result of the forum was a high level of interest in the integrated biorefinery concept, which is a reality in France and potentially could become an industry reality in Ohio. A follow-on to this year’s French visit to the U.S. will likely be that American companies and industry representatives will travel to meet their French counterparts in 2012, to perhaps co-present a seminar on biobased products and to visit one or more French biorefineries.

“The final goal of our 2011 mission to states in the American Midwest was to view first-hand the technologies used to transform biosources into materials,” said Vavassori-Fundis. “From new paints based on biosources to polymer applications, the French companies left with serious leads and solid collaboration ahead. Beyond that, there were many other leads related to international cooperation in the area of R&D that might also come to fruition in the future.” She said that UBIFRANCE succeeded in presenting advanced technologies and solutions to the companies and research centers in Midwest states.

**
PolymerOhio, Inc. is a polymer industry-specific Ohio Edison Technology Center, which is funded by the Ohio Economic Development Agency. PolymerOhio focuses on enhancing the global competitiveness of the polymer industry, including companies from the plastics, rubber, bioproducts, and advanced materials segments. For more information, go to http://www.polymerohio.org.

UBIFRANCE, the French Trade Commission, assists French companies searching for potential partners in the United States: specifically, they organize business meetings and guided visits with suitable prospects, inform French entrepreneurs about the conditions to access the U.S. market, and advise them on how to develop their business locally. UBIFRANCE has over 60 offices in more than 40 countries.

The University of Akron’s College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering was inaugurated in July of 1988 by combining the Department of Polymer Science, then in the Buchtel College of Arts and Science, with the Department of Polymer Engineering, then in the College of Engineering. The college is organized for teaching and research at the graduate level, granting the M.S and PhD in either polymer science or polymer engineering. The organization includes a complementary research institute, the Institute of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, which oversees the facilities, instrumentation, and support staff and generally provides a research focus for the department faculty, and graduate students.

Companies participating in PolymerOhio’s Smart Energy program have saved $100,000+ per year on energy bills.

Special offer for small companies, please call for details (866-996-9296).
PolymerOhio energy partner, PCX Energy Services, have identified energy saving measures for Ohio polymer industry manufacturers that so far have averaged over $100,000/yr with an average annual payback on total investment of 1.3 years.  Much of this average investment is below 1 year payback.  The only way to go wrong is to miss out on the opportunity to find out for yourself what your company’s savings could be.  The state of Ohio even subsidizes the cost of the custom study and report for your company up to 50% of $5000.

Polymer Ohio’s Smart Energy Program, funded by the Ohio Department of Development, promises a NO COST, NO RISK OPPORTUNITY to meet with an energy expert.

The energy expert will do a No Cost, No Risk one-hour walk-through review of a customer facility and then meet with the customer to discuss the potential for significant energy savings with a very quick payback… UNDER ONE YEAR!

Companies who proceeded with a low risk assessment found ways to save an average of 38.7% on their total annual energy spent.
This includes an average of 25.8% in less than one year.

Many of the projects identified had significant savings with little or no investment.

To take advantage

Please E-mail

smartenergy@polymerohio.org
or call Toll-Free
866-996-9296 and leave a voice message.

For more information, visit PolymerOhio Smart Energy Site.

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Advancing Window Techonology

Dr. Helper, the AT&T Professor of Economics, at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, and Chair of the Economics Department at Case, said that over the last 20 years, the auto industry has changed from one in which automakers were  vertically integrated organizations to a situation where  suppliers are shared across automakers.

Helper is collaborating with a number of groups, including PolymerOhio, to study the auto supply chain for U.S. Department of Labor. Her study is focusing on how to move out of the current crisis into something better – how changes in technologies and operations could lead to better products and better outcomes for employees and firms.

Helper said that her data focused on firms with less than 500 employees. These firms are often ignored, yet these smaller suppliers equal almost one fourth of the employment within the supply chain. Smaller suppliers, she said, are also the weak links of the supply chain, under the radar, hard to find, and struggle to find the money or capability to invest in new technology.
According to data collected by the Center for Automotive Research, long-term trend projections for light vehicle sales, as of December 2010, show a growth trend of about 1 to 2 percent per year. Consumers precipitously stopped buying in 2008, and by 2010, a recovery had started.

“Between 2008 and 2009 we saw a 45 percent decline in sales; we are now  about halfway back to the peak of a few years ago,” said Helper. “However, if we look at employment, the increase in sales in the past few months has not been reflected in hiring. There still seems to be a lot of wait-and-see, with everyone blaming each other for not investing.”

Moving on to discuss the supply chain situation, Helper noted that outsourcing increased in the 1980s. She said, “It used to be that for every employee at an automaker, there was one employee at a supplier. Now, for every automaker employee, there are 3.5 supplier employees, with each supplier providing to several automakers.” And what is even more interesting is that there is little coordination of this shared resource. “In fact, a key under-reported cause of crisis in the auto industry was the weakness of the supply chain,” she said. Helper noted that the Big Three Detroit automakers had a focus on always finding the lowest price from their suppliers. Because of their incentive to minimize piece price, many suppliers are not able to invest in design, quality, delivery, and innovation capabilities.  The net result, she said, is reduced performance, poor management of interaction across parts, and frequent engineering changes. As a result, Big Three vehicles did not command as high a price as Toyota or Honda vehicles.  Before the crisis, this price gap was $2,000 to $3000 per vehicle, controlling for size class.  Since the crisis, the Big Three, especially Ford, have reduced this gap.

“By contrast, the U.S. competitors are governed well and have tighter connections to industry and government.” She said that there are lessons to be learned from the Japanese, German, and Italian approaches to supply chain collaboration and management.

Helper categorized two customer strategies for better supply chain effectiveness and thus, better auto parts. She termed these strategies “voice” and “cost-shifting.” She said, “Referring to voice, if a problem arises between customer and supplier, communicate to resolve it. The goal is to maximize the total value of the supply chain, and take a share of the resulting profit.
For cost-shifting, the goal is to make profit by shifting costs to others, even if total value of the supply chain is reduced. Threaten to exit from the relationship if the supplier doesn’t agree.”
Small, second-tier suppliers have responded three ways to these strategies by their customers. First, by clever cost-cutting, some suppliers  have become “zero-fixed-cost” entities, scavenging used equipment; innovatively substituting stamped, bent parts for cast parts; and reducing automation by using outsourced, low-cost labor. Others simply made severe cuts – but often any of these approaches depleted reserves and cut into retirement and future skills development plans.

Second, Helper says suppliers are adopting Kaizen (i.e., continuous-improvement) strategies. Some suppliers were helped by their customers or training grants. Others combined continuous improvement with IT innovation.

The third approach is related to craft skill. Even though the U.S. has deep skills, severe competition exists from China.

Based on data from the Case study, Helper said that there is still a place for suppliers who have distinctive, difficult-to-imitate, or highly innovative new products. These “survivors” are learning from their customers, other suppliers, and universities. But sales from innovative products involve only a small percentage (10 or less) among over 40 percent of companies answering surveys from the Case study.

Polymer producers have sent a variety of processes off-shore, Helper said. “It probably was not much product design or programming, but a fair amount of tooling [(that was sent off-shore)],” she said. “However, firms are finding that there are hidden costs to sending work off-shore, and a number of polymer producers are bringing work back to the US. In conjunction with PolymerOhio and researchers from Ohio University, Helper is studying this “re-shoring” process.

Helper recommended these approaches for companies in the auto supply chain: “First, to the extent you can, choose, a good customer; it allows you to do some innovation.” “Also, regulation might turn out to be your friend; the need for lightweight materials in the 1970s to aid in fuel saving forced customers to invest in suppliers that could innovate; something like this might happen again now.”

“Second, combine Kaizen and distinctiveness. Create agile firms with more trained workers. Partner with others to alleviate skill shortages. And take advantage of programs that help with complementary investments, such as the Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP).”

“Finally, create more learning opportunities to get new ideas and interact with others in the same industries,” she said.

“Crisis creates some opportunity; we have certainly learned that supply chains are interdependent,” said Helper. “We need to discuss how investments will be paid for…and how we can do things quickly, yet at a workable price.” She said that it is important to look to other industries for technologies that might be applicable and ways to generate profits that will support innovation. Back to her model of voice and cost-shifting, “Seek customers that use voice and fire customers that don’t,” she recommended.

Data collection will continue through October. If your firm participates at any level of the auto supply chain and would like to take part in the research team’s confidential data collection, please contact susan.helper@case.edu. Any firm that participates will receive a confidential personalized benchmarking report.

**

Dr. Susan Helper is the AT&T Professor of Economics, at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, and Chair of the economics Department at Case. She is also a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and of the International Motor Vehicle Program. Her research focuses on the globalization of supply chains, and how U.S. manufacturing might be revitalized. She has published in journals such as American Economic Review and Sloan Management Review. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a B.A. form Oberlin College.

PolymerOhio, Inc. is a polymer industry-specific Ohio Edison Technology Center, which is funded by the Ohio Department of Development. PolymerOhio focuses on enhancing the global competitiveness of the polymer industry, including companies from the plastics, rubber, bioproducts, and advanced materials segments. For more information, go to http://www.polymerohio.org.

“At Nanofilm, we have been commercializing nano-coatings since shortly after we founded the company,” says Rickert. “Our technology portfolio solves customers’ problems where optically clear, thin (nanometers to microns) coatings, self-assembling nano-layers, or nanocomposites are required.” Nanofilm is engineering coatings at the molecular level.

Nanofilm was founded in 1985 by Rickert and Don McClusky, and was based on Dr. Rickert’s pioneering work in self-assembling thin films at Case Western Reserve University, where he was a professor and researcher. The company quickly began successful commercialization of nanocoatings and surface preservation treatments.  During its two decades in business, the company’s technology portfolio has expanded rapidly to include dozens of products in three core technologies: self-assembling nanofilms, nanocomposites, and surface preservation and care applications.

Self-assembling nanofilms are ultra-thin (<30 nm) and are basically invisible. They chemically bind with a substrate and then self-assemble into extremely thin films that add performance characteristics. Unlike coatings that are “painted on,” a Nanofilm nanocoating provides durable functionality.  Nanocomposites are a blend of nanoparticles into a matrix material to form coatings that are typically applied in thicknesses less than 30 microns. This allows the unique characteristics of the nanomaterial to be added at the surface of a substrate. Surface preservation and care is based on decades of experience in nanoscale chemistry and a suite of resulting formulations that can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces.

Nanofilm specializes in nanotechnology for three substrates: glass, ceramics, plastics, and stainless steel. Performance characteristics that the company’s technology can add include:
• Scratch resistance
• Energy control
• Electrical conductivity
• Stain resistance
• Water resistance
• Chemical resistance
• Abrasion resistance
• Non-stick
• Anti-static
• Soil resistant
• Easy to clean
• Anti-reflective
• Anti-fogging.

Nanofilm’s products are designed for many markets, including transportation, electronics and displays, aviation/aerospace, architecture, optical, and consumer products. Products that include Nanofilm’s technology are being sold on every continent around the globe. Rickert said, “There is a marketplace need for the developing technology to control the release and toxicity of bio-active agents at the nano-scale. Such products could be a very valuable and competitive addition to the field of longer-lasting anti-bacterial surface treatments.” He added, “Many companies in nanotechnology have some of the expertise to develop such a product, but it is rare that a single company had this breadth and depth of technology within its walls.” Nanofilm’s expertise and experience positioned the company for making new alliances and branching out into new products and markets.

To assist in this diversification, Nanofilm took advantage of its association with the Nano-Network, a division of PolymerOhio (an Edison Technology Center focused on the polymer industry and advanced materials in Ohio).  Nanofilm was introduced to SDG by Ken Vaughan, Executive Director of the Nano-Network and Wayne Earley, CEO of PolymerOhio. The potential for these two companies to collaborate seemed like a natural fit and held the promise of becoming a boon to Ohio’s economic development as well as an outstanding opportunity for the two companies.

SDG, Inc., another nanotechnology-based company, founded and led by W. Blair Geho, M.D., Ph.D., has its own long history of successful nanotechnology developments and commercialization, and was looking for ways to extend the capabilities of bio-nanotechnology to new applications. SDG has successfully developed, patented, and commercialized nanoscale liposomes as carriers for individual drug molecules in therapeutic treatments as well as diagnostic imaging agents, nutraceutical ingredients, and consumer product components, such as fragrances, conditioners, and hair care actives.

“The value of the Nano-Network and PolymerOhio is that they are aggressively identifying and connecting potential partners,” said Rickert.  “I believe Ken Vaughan and Wayne Earley are the only industry leaders who could have made the Nanofilm-SDG match happen.” He also said, “Vaughan and Earley invested their time and effort into knowing the capabilities and management of a variety of companies in the industry and then proactively and insightfully linked logical collaborators. The result goes beyond traditional networking to the formation of connections that deliver results for the companies involved and, ultimately, the economic development of Ohio.”

In May 2011, Nanofilm and SDG signed a comprehensive joint development and licensing agreement to
develop and commercialize nano-formulas that combine the two companies’ technologies. “Among our planned projects is the development of technology to control the release and toxicity of bio-active agents at the nano-scale,” said Rickert. The scope of the agreement covers all non-biological applications for formulas combining the two companies’ technologies. The strong synergy between Nanofilm and SDG’s nanotechnology development and commercialization strengths will focus on near-term opportunities for enhanced bio-active nanotechnologies for a variety of professional and consumer uses.

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Nanofilm Ltd. is a privately held company with headquarters in Valley View, Ohio, near Cleveland. Today, the company includes approximately 65 employees working in 50,000 square feet of research, lab, production and manufacturing space. The company has patented formulations and commercialized thin film coatings for use in optics, transportation energy, house wares, and other industries. These products are distributed globally.

SDG, Inc. is a privately held developer of bio-nanotechnologies for use in drug delivery systems and in consumer product applications. The Company’s patented systems have been used in the creation and development of novel oral delivery systems for insulin, interferon and other protein-based therapies, cell-receptor targeting of a wide variety of large and small molecule drugs and diagnostics, and consumer products ranging from hair conditioners and styling agents to skin-adhering insect repellents and sunscreens. SDG Inc. has successfully developed, patented and commercialized nanoscale liposomes to be carriers for individual drug molecules for therapeutic treatments as well as diagnostic imaging agents, nutraceutical ingredients, and consumer product actives, including fragrances, conditioners, sunscreens and hair care actives.

PolymerOhio, Inc. is a polymer industry-specific Ohio Edison Technology Center, which is funded by the Ohio Department of Development. PolymerOhio focuses on enhancing the global competitiveness of the polymer industry, including companies from the plastics, rubber, bioproducts, and advanced materials segments. For more information, go to http://www.polymerohio.org.

The Nano-Network is an industry organization whose mission is to encourage and enable the development and commercialization of nanotechnology in Ohio. The Nano-Network makes connections, organizes events and serves as an advocate for Ohio’s nanotechnology cluster. In 2009 the Nano-Network became a division of PolymerOhio’s advanced materials efforts. For more information, go to http://www.thenanonetwork.org.
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Links
Nanofilm  http://www.nanofilmtechnology.com/index.aspx?bhcp=1
SDG Inc.   http://sdgpharma.com/
Polymer Ohio http://www.polymerohio.org