GM and Partners Burn Rubber to Improve Fuel Economy

GM and Partners Burn Rubber to Improve Fuel Economy National Tire Research Center to speed testing, development of fuel-efficient tires

DETROIT - General Motors' drive to improve vehicle fuel economy is expected to gain traction in January when GM engineers and scientists begin work with research partners to accelerate the development of tire technology at the new National Tire Research Center in Halifax County, Va.

The world-class facility, to which GM contributed $5 million, uses state-of-the-art tire performance machinery that will enable automakers and tire manufacturers to replicate real-world emergency events and improve vehicle highway safety.

By some estimates, tire design can help improve fuel efficiency by up to 7 percent. A tire's rolling resistance is determined by variations in tread pattern, construction, material quality and processing techniques. Ultimately, the lower the rolling resistance, the less fuel is needed to move the vehicle forward.

Low rolling resistance tires are expected to help customers save money at the gas pump, as will more efficient conventional engines and electric powertrains.

"The work we'll undertake at the National Tire Research Center will have a big impact on how quickly next-generation tire technologies will be developed and the accuracy of their design and engineering," said Ken Morris, GM's executive director of Global Vehicle Performance and Safety, and proving grounds and test labs. Morris attended the center's ribbon-cutting ceremony in October.

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Halifax County leaders tour biomass plant

Halifax County Service Authority Board of Directors was joined by county supervisors for a tour of the South Boston Energy Wood Biomass Plant Thursday afternoon during the authority's monthly meeting.

According to Authority Executive Director Willie Jones, the authority will be pumping water to steam cooling towers at the new facility from the Maple Avenue wastewater plant in South Boston. It is estimated the plant will use 30,000 gallons of water a day in regular usage and will use up to 1.1 million gallons a day to cool the towers bringing in a significant amount of revenue to the authority, Jones said.

Following the tour Thursday, the board returned to the authority's office on Houghton Avenue in South Boston to continue the meeting.

Authority directors tabled action until their December meeting on the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project Loan for the Lasco sewer pump station expansion.

The board reviewed financial reports for October and also made final preparations for their upcoming retreat that was held Friday and Saturday.

At the conclusion of the meeting, directors went into closed session to discuss a personnel issue and the acquisition of real property.

No action was taken when they emerged from the closed session, according to Jones.

from the Gazette-Virginian

National Tire Research Center a big investment in jobs, research

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s new National Tire Research Center that opened Wednesday at the Virginia Motorsports Technology Park on the campus of Alton’s VIRginia International Raceway represents an investment of more than $30 million and brings with it the expectation of 186 jobs at its operational peak.

Dr. Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, said the facility, the “Flat-Trac LTRe” machine that measures tire performance, which was custom-built for the center by MTS Systems, and funding for facility operations represents a major investment for Virginia Tech, General Motors and others involved.

According to Dingus, the building represents a $15 million investment, the tire testing machine has a price tag of $11.2 million and the operations component is an approximate $4 million investment, making a total of $30.2 million.

 Further investments will be made in the future.

“We already have plans to add machines with our partner, General Motors, and others,” Dingus noted.

Dingus said the NTRC will provide 186 direct and indirect jobs for this area of Southside Virginia when it reaches its peak.

“There will be 93 (people) who will work here within the next few years,” Dingus pointed out.

“Economic development numbers say that will help the community gain another 93 jobs.”

Seven people are employed at the NTRC now, and that number is expected to swell to 15 in January.

“We’ve got open positions right now and more starting up all the time,” Dingus said.

“We already have top-notch people from all around the country who are moving here, and we will also hire some local people and are already starting to do so.

“This facility and the one next door (The Southern Virginia Vehicle Motion Laboratory) will eventually be running three shifts,” he added.

“There will be lots of opportunity for local people to get jobs.”

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IDA opens busy week with unveiling of C-CARE

The Halifax County Industrial Development Authority kicked off a busy week focused on economic development opportunities by unveiling the National Center for Coatings Application, Research, and Education (C-CARE) Monday at Riverstone Technology Center.

C-CARE, housed in 12,000 square feet of environmentally controlled space, has been more than two years in the making and represents a collaboration between the Halifax IDA, the Riverstone Energy Center and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center.

It has been made possible by funding from the Virginia Tobacco Commission, the Halifax County Board of Supervisors and in-kind contributions of equipment by a network of business partners.

In opening remarks at the dedication ceremony, IDA Chairman John Cannon credited the Tobacco Commission with funding the center to the tune of some $20 million. Cannon thanked Ed Owens, chairman of the commission's Southside Economic Development Committee and State Senator Franak Ruff for their support of the project, and remarked that the commitment demonstrates the Tobacco Commission's leadership in revitalizing the economy of southern Virginia. He also praised the commission for its backing of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center's Innovation Center.

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Art as a Business Seminar scheduled for Nov. 12

The Halifax County Chamber of Commerce, Longwood Small Business Development Center and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center will host a free seminar, “Art As A Business,” on Nov. 8 from 8:30 to 10 a.m.

This seminar will be held at the Innovation Center of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, 820 Bruce St. in South Boston.

Participants can learn how to sell their art without selling their soul, define and engage their collector, master merchandising basics, market and advertise their artwork, build their brand, create a social media presence and embrace and understand the business side of selling their art.

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Halifax manufacturers selected by IndustryWeek magazine

No manufacturer can succeed today without constantly seeking ways to improve its operations. And there is no better way to learn about leading edge manufacturing than to experience it firsthand. And with this in mind, one of the most respected publications in manufacturing has selected two companies in Virginia to highlight their efforts in continuous improvement.

IndustryWeek announces that ABB, Inc. and Huber Engineered Woods, both located in Halifax County, will be hosting factory tours Wednesday.

“When you attend an IndustryWeek Excellence in Action Plant Tour, you get ‘behind the scenes’ access to manufacturing facilities that are on the leading edge of continuous improvement efforts that increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction and create stimulating and rewarding work environments,” said Matt Leonard, Industrial Development Authority of Halifax County executive director.

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National Tire Research Center ribbon cutting set

The National Tire Research Center, located in Halifax County adjacent to the Virginia International Raceway, will have a ribbon cutting on Oct. 24 for its renovated facility and to display the custom-built equipment that economic development leaders and Virginia Tech officials say they hope make the Southern Virginia region the one-stop destination for global tire testing and development.

General Motors’ Ken Morris, executive director of Global Vehicle Performance and Safety, and the proving grounds and test labs, Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger, and Connie G. Nyholm, co-owner and managing partner of Virginia International Raceway, will be present at the Virginia Motorsports Technology Park in Alton to cut the ribbon at 2 p.m.

The $14 million National Tire Research Center was created in 2010 through a collaborative effort led by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in alliance with the Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, General Motors and the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission.

“With this new research facility and major equipment in place, we are on schedule to create a whole new genre of testing starting in January 2013,” said Frank Della Pia, executive director for the tire research center. “The facility has no peer. When you add up all the capabilities the National Tire Research Center has to offer, it’s going to be a transformational leap in tire technology.”

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IDA applying for $1.3 million grant

IDA board members have voted to support submission of a $1.3 million tobacco commission economic development application to continue rehabilitation of the former Daystrom Furniture facility now known as Green View Advanced Manufacturing Center.

Following a closed session Friday morning, authority board member Butch Blanks offered a motion to approve submission of the application that will require a $42,000 match from the authority and also seeks a $150,000 local match commitment from the Halifax County Board of Supervisors.

According to the resolution of support, this project will assist in providing ready space for advanced manufacturing and workforce training as well as space for commercialization of start-up industries and research and development projects and other general industry needs.