Led by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the public-private partnership is expected to create thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs over the next decade, officials said.
The advanced composites program is supported by a U.S. Department of Energy commitment of $70 million over five years. In addition, the institute’s 122-member consortium in six states has committed a total of $189 million, including the state of Ohio’s commitment of $10 million.
The IACMI will be divided into five regionally focused institutes with Ohio hosting the compressed gas storage institute at the University of Dayton.
UD will lead the initiative for the development of compressed-gas storage tanks for the automotive industry. In addition, the university will lead development of composites manufacturing processes, as well as workforce training in partnership with Sinclair Community College.
“If the automotive industry moved from steel to more composites, that opens up a big opportunity for Ohio,” said John Leland, UD interim vice president for research and executive director of UDRI.
Ohio has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of composites industries, along with Texas and California. “Southwest Ohio has the largest concentration within Ohio of composites-related industries,” Leland said.
UDRI has a long history of composite materials research for the aerospace industry.
Composites are created by combining strong fibers with tough plastics to create materials that are lighter and stronger than steel. Currently, composites are used in aircraft, military vehicle, luxury car and satellite applications.
Brian Rice, head of UDRI’s Multi-Scale Composites & Polymers division, worked for nearly two years to put together a team of Ohio companies that will partner in the initiative, including Honda Motor Co., Owens Corning Corp., Continental Structural Plastics, PolyOne Corp. and GrafTech International.
Many Ohio small businesses also could benefit from the initiative, Leland said.
UDRI’s composites and polymers division includes four integrated research groups that employ 55 full-time research staff members. Leland expects the initiative to create additional research jobs at UDRI.
“We have the people, the facilities, the relationships with other organizations that obviously put us in the strongest position to be part of this team. We think there is a lot of growth room for the further development of composites technology,” Leland said.
UDRI’s research will first target semi-trailer trucks, followed by commercial box trucks and, eventually, automobiles.
Leland said work will be performed at UD research facilities, the National Composite Center in Kettering and at various partner company locations.
Sinclair will partner with UDRI to develop training programs to create a skilled composites workforce for the region, said Deb Norris, Sinclair vice president of workforce development and corporate services.
“That is what companies are looking for, because if they can’t get the workforce they need they are going to go somewhere else,” Norris said.
Norris expects some composite companies to open or relocate here to take advantage of UDRI’s research.
IACMI is the fifth named institute under the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, a public-private partnership launched in 2013 by the Obama administration.
Officials said funding for projects under the program will be determined during an annual review process.
The institute’s founding partners also include Purdue University in Indiana, Michigan State University, University of Kentucky, Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado.
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