OIT Times: Forging Industry Credits Roadmap for Recent R&D Grants

March 21, 2002

The forging industry has a story to tell. The story starts with a technology roadmap and ends with a grant of nearly $15 million and a new spirit of cooperation in a formerly fragmented industry.

George Mochnal, Director of Research and Education for the Forging Industry Association (FIA), explains that the technology roadmap that FIA created with OIT assistance has led to several OIT and Department of Defense (DOD) grants. In addition, creating a roadmap and working with OIT has led to a new alliance among and between forgers, Industries of the Future, and crosscutting industries.

Mochnal joined FIA in 1994 and learned of the roadmap process from early meetings with OIT. t became evident that a plan could be put together that would be of great interest to our industry members plan that would focus us on those areas that are important to help the forging industry stay competitive in the future,says Mochnal. The FIA put together a vision and organized roadmap meetings with assistance from OIT. The forging industry completed its technology roadmap in November 1997.

Although the first proposal that the forging industry submitted was not awarded a grant, the submission process itself was a success. ne of their failures turned into one of their greatest successes,explains OIT Deputy Assistant Secretary Denise Swink. Mochnal agrees, saying that after the first proposal application, companies were excited about working together toward common technology goals. In fact, the positive experience resulted in publication of an FIA pamphlet on collaborative research.

Several successful proposals followed the forging industry first attempt. The largest of these recently resulted in a $12 million grant from DOD. he DOD and Defense Logistics Agency specifically said that the grant12 million from DOD and $3 million in-kind from industryas to implement portions of the technology roadmap,says Mochnal. he technology roadmap has not only been a base to work from with DOE, but also with other agencies./p>