In the "Flat World" described by Thomas Freidman,
complacency is fatal; companies that find synergies
with evolving markets discover new successes through
an ability to adapt. This ability to adapt is, and will
continue to be, a key competitive advantage in the
21st Century global economy. Ohio's ability to compete
globally stems from our rich tradition of innovation
which is evidenced today by our manufacturers' pursuit
of new product innovations for non-traditional markets.
The Ohio Third Frontier fosters this spirit of innovation
by helping to address the technical needs of existing
companies willing to refocus their robust strengths to
create new products, industries, markets, and jobs. This
innovative spirit is exemplified by the following three
Ohio companies.
- New Bremen, Ohio
Today, Crown's heavy-duty lift trucks are used in a variety of applications, such as transporting goods through the narrow aisles of warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities. In an effort to further enhance efficiency in warehousing operations, Crown has been developing a fuel cell application for its warehouse lift trucks. If successful, the technology will replace batteries in warehouse vehicles, saving both resources and time.
Ohio Third Frontier funding has enabled Crown to accelerate its research, placing the company at the leading edge of the deployment of cost effective fuel cell technology for the lift truck market. In mid-2008, Crown established a dedicated test center to qualify lift trucks for commercially available fuel cells. Customer interest remains high. Five fuel cells from three different suppliers have been evaluated for all three classes of lift truck, and Crown is currently field testing a U.S. Department of Defense application.
Created in 1948 as Lima Tool & Die, American Trim was once a start-up with four employees manufacturing appliance handles for kitchen ranges. Today, the company has expanded into the areas of electromagnetic forming, physical vapor deposition, digital printing and advanced surface modification to achieve a global presence with 1,500 employees and annual sales of $250 million.
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With Ohio Third Frontier funding, and in collaboration
with Lima's Rhodes State College, American Trim
is playing a leading role in the Advanced Materials
Commercialization Center and the Advanced Materials
Deposition Center. Specifically, American Trim has
opened its Lima facility to house these centers, while
Rhodes State College provides the equipment to
develop and commercialize these advanced product
process methods. As a result of this collaboration,
American Trim has developed a cost-effective and
environmentally acceptable near-chrome finishing
process which is eliminating the need to send products
off-shore for chroming, reducing production cycle time,
and enabling the company to retain jobs in Ohio.
Furthermore, the Ohio Third Frontier investment is
contributing to student education and workforce
development at the undergraduate and graduate level
at Rhodes State College and Ohio Northern University,
training engineering students and technicians in cuttingedge
processes thereby ensuring that Ohioans have the
ability to upgrade their skill sets to prepare for these jobs.
In recent years, GrafTech has revolutionized the consumer electronics world by introducing electronic thermal management solutions that enable lighter and thinner plasma television sets, laptop computers, and cell phones. Funding from the Ohio Third Frontier has supported advanced materials research that will enable GrafTech to develop the next-generation graphite sheet with enhanced properties at a lower cost to meet consumer product demand in the future.
With Ohio Third Frontier support, GrafTech has also pioneered the use of lightweight, corrosion-resistant graphite-based materials used in critical components of fuel cells. These novel materials are now found in fuel cells for hydrogen-powered automobiles, buses, forklift trucks and backup power applications. The company foresees future applications in consumer electronics and stationary power.
The Ohio Third Frontier delivers assistance to Ohio manufacturing companies that sustain Ohio's global competitive advantages for product development, company growth and attraction, job creation and wealth creation. By assisting Ohio manufacturing companies to explore new opportunities and collaborations, companies are finding synergies with evolving markets and discovering new economic successes by adapting to technological and market forces.
GrafTech Awards
- With a $2.9 million U.S. Department of Energy
grant, GrafTech is
developing next-generation bipolar plates for automotive polymer
electrolyte membrane fuel cells.
- Initial funding from the Ohio Third Frontier
led to the award of a
$1.6 million U.S. Air Force appropriation to develop conductive
graphite foam for aerospace heat exchangers in a collaboration
between GrafTech, the Ohio Aerospace Institute, and Ohio University.
- In 2005, GrafTech won the Frost & Sullivan Award
for Excellence
in Technology.
- GrafTech won the 2006 State of Ohio Governor's
Excellence in
Exporting Award due to expanded thermal management solution
sales in Asia.
- eGRAF® thermal management products have won
two
Research & Development 100 awards (2003 & 2004); GRAFCELL®
bipolar plates took the award in 2007.
- GrafTech's CEO, Craig Shular, won the 2008
Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his company's financial
successes in supporting innovation.
- GrafTech has maintained a continual presence in
the Cleveland
area since the 1880's.
