Regional Growth Partnership

Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies

Advanced manufacturing applies cutting-edge concepts in computers, electronics, software and automation to improve production. Significant leaps in technology are driven by the creation of advanced materials. Advanced materials include unique composites of plastic, glass fibers, carbon fibers, ceramics, metals and nano-materials finer than smoke particles. Any two or three of these materials could be used simultaneously to create end products that are stronger, faster or lighter than anyone imagined possible. These innovative industrial technologies not only enable commercialization, but also provide the means to produce new products effectively and efficiently.

For those who think this nation is no longer an industrial or manufacturing powerhouse, think again. In America, a new industrial revolution is beginning. It’s every bit as smart and digital as Silicon Valley software development. In fact, it incorporates software development. It incorporates open source product development and other nimble ways of doing business. And it responds to individual customer and community needs with remarkable sensitivity.

This new revolution has been acknowledged at the highest level as President Obama recently launched a new initiative to create high-quality manufacturing jobs and enhance our country’s global competitiveness. The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership is a national effort bringing together industry, universities and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies and helping U.S. manufacturers reduce costs, improve quality and accelerate product development.

What has become known as a New Manufacturing Economy showcases American imagination and ingenuity at its best.

The revolution is taking place all over. But not every region is equally aware of it or equally ready to reap its rewards. Among those that are, one region strands out – Toledo/Northwest Ohio. This region has been at the heart of industrial activity since the time it was founded.

With so much in place as the center of the nation’s earlier manufacturing economy, it’s no surprise the region is poised to become the capital of The New Manufacturing Economy.

The Toledo region is taking its place at the forefront of this new economy because it has manufacturing in its bones. Think of the region as possessing the very best of the manufacturing mindset. It’s ingrained in the business community, upheld by the universities, and proudly embraced by the region’s people.

The New Manufacturing Economy is distinctly entrepreneurial in spirit. The Toledo region recognizes and celebrates this spirit, and goes to great lengths to nurture it.

Resources

Sampling of Regional Companies

American Trim

American Trim began its life 60 years ago as Lima Tool and Die, a family-owned company that produced appliance handles for kitchen ranges. Today, the company is a leading supplier not only for the appliance trade but also the heavy truck industry. An eagerness to stay on top of the latest technologies has made American Trim a pioneer in the areas of electromagnetic forming, digital printing and advanced surface modification. Currently under development is a process called physical vapor deposition (PVD). In layman’s terms, the technology creates a “near-chrome” finish that can be used to simulate stainless steel on refrigerators, ovens, washers and dryers.

AquaBlok

AquaBlok is an early stage advanced materials company based in Toledo, Ohio. The company, a materials manufacturing company, has developed patented bentonite-based composite material technology which can address a wide range of water and chemical control applications in geotechnical, environmental and mining markets.

Advanced Battery Concepts

Advanced Battery Concepts, LLC (ABC), has invented GreenSeal™ technology, an electrode that revolutionizes battery design. GreenSeal™ dramatically improves the performance and functionality of large-format, rechargeable lead-acid batteries.

Midwest MicroDevices

Midwest MicroDevices of Toledo has continued to grow at a steady pace since its founding in 2004. The company’s niche is a new and emerging micro-electro mechanical (MEMs) market, focusing on unusual materials and incredibly tiny wafers. The company’s employees work on devices often smaller than a human hair (think miniscule sensor of a car’s airbag). The company is a graduate of the Regional Growth Partnership, which offered support, marketing and financing. The Ohio Department of Development provided an Ohio Innovation Loan to the company through the Ohio Third Frontier. The University of Toledo’s Science, Technology and Innovation Enterprises have also partnered with the startup. At the end of 2010, the company had a dozen employees and was hoping to add as many as 10 new skilled positions within two years.