Guardian Industries Corp., one of the world“s largest glass manufacturers, has officially opened a new science and technology center in the US.
The 50,000-square-foot facility, part of a wave of tec…
Guardian Industries Corp., one of the world“s largest glass manufacturers, has officially opened a new science and technology center in the US. The 50,000-square-foot facility, part of a wave of technology centers that have sprouted in Metro Detroit over the past decade, will centralize research and development activities for Auburn Hills-based Guardian Industries. The company operates 21 glass plants and employs 17,500 people. “With the nucleus of the automotive industry and a concentration of skilled labor, our region has become a high-tech sector of the world,” said Frank Carmone, chairman of the marketing department at Wayne State University“s School of Business Administration. A strong economy, added public incentives and a requirement by the automakers to have their suppliers locate facilities in the region helped contribute to the research boom, Carmone said. Scott Thomsen, director of Guardian Industries“ science and technology center, said technicians will focus on developing advanced coatings and electronic circuits that can control a variety of vehicle functions, including Internet access, traffic and mapping reports as well as cell phones, radios and alarm systems. “We“ll develop the latest technologies before we pass the final research off to specific markets,” Thomsen said. “It“s hard for us to sit here and design a final product for Germany or Poland.” In recent months, the company has introduced a number of innovative products, including abrasion-resistant glass, infrared reflective glazings and a variety of coatings that improve ultraviolet protection and solar heat gain. Located across the street from a 850,000-square-foot glass plant that Guardian opened in 1970, the facility has 16 laboratories and employs 50 scientists, engineers and technicians. The plant, a large supplier of automotive glass, employs more than 500 people.