Dana Corporation opens new Automotive Systems Technology Center

April 16, 2004
Dana Corporation today unveiled its new Automotive Systems Group Technology Center — a nearly 200,000 square-foot facility near Toledo, Ohio, that features advanced component and system engineering, along with housing testing and purchasing experts.

Dana Corporation today unveiled its new Automotive Systems Group Technology Center—a nearly 200,000 square-foot facility near Toledo, Ohio, that features advanced component and system engineering, along with housing testing and purchasing experts.

In addition to supporting research and development activities across North America, the new center augments Dana's technical centers in the Asia-Pacific, South American, and European markets.

"No matter what challenge they face, our customers rely on us for comprehensive solutions," said Michael J. Burns, Dana CEO and president. "This new Dana Automotive Systems Technology Center supports our global network of resources that deliver effective, customer-focused innovations."

The center's research and development capabilities include total systems engineering, product prototyping services, three-dimensional computer modeling, drivetrain manufacturing and assembly support, and advanced computer simulations.

"The Technology Center's design resources enable Dana to refine its products long before manufacturing begins. This lowers costs and ensures the quality and durability that Dana products are known for and our customers have come to expect," said Mike Laisure, president of Dana's Automotive Systems Group. "This new facility is much more than an engineering center - it combines 100 years of design, material, and manufacturing knowledge to benefit the entire automotive industry."

The facility features a gear-system development area complete with in-house blade grinding, gear cutting, heat treating, and dimensional validation. Testing and analysis capabilities include a full metallurgical lab with X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope; platform noise, vibration, and harshness analysis; data acquisition; and product validation.

Validating components and systems is a core function of the Automotive Systems Technology Center. Before new products hit the road, engineers first apply extensive endurance and performance testing on a range of dynamometers that measure component performance at actual operating speeds and loads.

Sophisticated fatigue testing also helps determine how materials and designs will hold up to the long-term stresses of daily use. Other specialized tests determine how Dana's products will endure extreme heat and cold fluctuations, exposure to mud, salt, and other hostile forces.