Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Funding is requested to develop a proposal for a Kentucky-based NSF Engineering Research
Center in Surface Coatings. The ERC will be the natural outgrowth of work begun at the
University of Kentucky Painting Technology Laboratory in collaboration with Toyota Motor
Co., especially Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, North
America, work which has already resulted in the Vortecone, innovative and patented paint booth
technology now in use in several Toyota facilities.
The funding requested will be used to leverage the outreach already begun by the Painting
Technology Workshop, begun in 2000, and will rely on the seeds of industry collaboration
already planted by UK's Painting Technology Consortium and KYNanoMat, the UK! University
of Louisville nanotechnology partnership.
Beyond the research capabilities of its eventual members and collaborators, the strength of the
proposed research center (and of its proposal) comes crom the group's ability to make an impact
in several key areas simultaneously. Research initiatives that develop new technologies and
approaches in painting technology will have an impact on (I) the automobile industry, (2) the
paint industry (3) and their associated suppliers. At the same time UK PTL's on-going research
is committed to (4) developing technologies that will reduce environmental impact, thus
supporting the goals of state and federal legislation and assisting industry in compliance with
environmental regulations as well as with lowering costs. Because of its (5) long-nurtured
strengths in lean manufacturing (through association with the lean manufacturing program at the
UK Center for Manufacturing), the UK PTL has yet another attribute that will attract industry
participation and be of substantial benefit to the consortium's partners.
Such a center is a good economic fit for Kentucky because of an already-strong auto industry and
paint industry presence in the Commonwealth. The paint manufacturing industry in Kentucky
consists of more than 20 operations, four of which represent larger organizations: PPG Industries
has its Olympic and Porter Paint divisions in Louisville and Sherwin-Williams Company has its
Automotive Finishes division in Richmond. YH America in Versailles is a division of the much
larger Yokohama Hydex Co. Ltd. ofToyko; Magni Industries is a division of the multinational
Magni Group Inc.; Teknor Color Company in Henderson is a division of Teknor Apex Co.
Kentucky is the 3rd largest producer of trucks in the U.S., the 4th largest producer of cars and
makes 10% of all cars and trucks produced in the U.S. Kentucky has the 3rd highest level of auto
industry employment in the U.S.; approximately 6% of the state's workforce is directly or
indirectly employed in an auto related industry. Assembly plants in Kentucky include Toyota,
G.M. (Corvette), and Ford (2 plants). In addition, Kentucky is home to over 450 auto industry
supplier facilities. This overview, it should be noted, is a modest count which does not include
the paint or auto industry presence in nearby states, such as PTC member Honda of America's
assembly plant in Maysville, Ohio.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 4/1/04 → 12/31/08 |
Funding
- KY Science and Technology Co Inc: $19,987.00
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