What’s in it for me? How EWI’s applied research center will help Colorado manufacturers

Imagine your company benefiting from three full-scale test labs, $50 million in capital equipment, more than 160 engineers and experts, and broad industry connections. That's an investment few manufacturers can make on their own, and it's exactly what many Colorado companies stand to gain by partnering with EWI.

The nonprofit's new facility in Loveland guarantees Colorado manufacturers will have access to a world-class facility capable of developing, testing, and implementing innovative technologies that will make Colorado a leader in manufacturing across all of Colorado's industries.

For many Colorado companies, having EWI in the state will be the equivalent of employing an in-house R&D team, but without the accompanying payroll swell. With access to engineering talent, technicians, and specialized equipment, companies that work with EWI stand to gain a considerable advantage over their competitors by being able to bring their products to market faster, more efficiently, and more profitably.

A strong working relationship with EWI is already paying dividends for Colorado-based Vergent Products. The company started working with EWI on licensing technology for ultrasonic inspection of resistance spot welds two years ago. That endeavor has spawned another company, Progenero Products, which is responsible for the SpotSight, a product that uses sound waves to instantly detect quality problems.

EWI brings over 30 years of experience in the engineering and technology fields to Colorado and has committed to establishing national technical capabilities such as non-destructive evaluation, real-time process monitoring to assess quality, advanced metrology, and structural health monitoring (SHM).

The focus on these technologies isn't all EWI brings with it to Colorado. EWI is one of the few organizations in the world that can both develop and deploy new technologies to successfully help aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, defense, heavy industrial, oil and gas, advanced energy, medical device, and rail companies bridge the gap between R&D and manufacturing implementation.

Their manufacturing innovation solutions improve the latest manufacturing technologies ranging from dissimilar materials joining, lightweight materials development, and ultrasonic metal welding to weldability of high strength steels, adaptive welding techniques, and additive manufacturing technologies.

"This is a big deal for Colorado's manufacturers. Being one of only three states with an EWI Center of Excellence will put our state's manufacturing companies in the national spotlight," says Tim Heaton, president of the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Alliance. "That means big business and new market opportunities across Colorado."

Karla Tartz is Chief Strategy Officer for FourFront Colorado. Reach her at karla@fourfrontco.com.