Transportation Research Center: An On-Ramp To Transportation And Mobility Innovation

A s newer technologies improve the efficiencies of manufacturing processes and shorten development cycles of products in the automotive industry, time materializes into an invaluable resource for organizations. And in order to remain competitive in these trying times and carve a niche for themselves in the industry, automotive OEMs require vehicle testing facilities, proving grounds, and the assistance of engineering firms to validate their offerings before releasing them to the market. At this juncture, Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC Inc.) an organization that for nearly 50 years has provided the industry with comprehensive research, development, and testing services helps OEMs achieve production goals and objectives in the automotive arena, ensuring automation excellence for all stakeholders. “We help clients meet their aggressive production and development deadlines by employing skilled engineers and technicians who can work alongside development teams to solve a multitude of problems that they face,” begins Brett Roubinek, CEO of TRC Inc.“And that requires a fair bit of ingenuity and skill, as some of these challenges are being addressed for the first time by these manufacturers.”

TRC Inc.’s proficiency in resolving such impediments is accredited to its research acumen, wherein the company engages with both academia and the government to craft last-mile solutions. It answers fundamental research questions while also looking at the relevant regulations across four distinct service lines; the first of which involves the traditional road performance tests, inclusive of dynamic assessments and durability analysis. The second pillar the laboratory performance evaluation department oversees emission tests, battery technologies, impact labs. TRC Inc. has also established a consortium to conduct pre-competitive research with various stakeholders as the industry ventures into automated and connected transportation avenues. Moreover, a technical service group consulting engineers and research scientists forms the third service area of TRC Inc., which helps clients address any discrepancies in the development, production, or research workflows. The final service line is referred to as the Advanced Mobility Group, which caters to the development of technologies for the future of the automotive industry.

The merits of these service lines along with TRC Inc.’s competencies in automotive research and development are exemplified in all of the company’s engagements with clients. In one of the more recent collaborations, a client of TRC Inc. sought to validate simulations for the prototype vehicle in accordance with lateral displacement of the vehicle while in motion. Moreover, all of these tests had to be designed in a non-destructive fashion as the vehicle was still in the prototype stage. Upon engaging with the client, TRC Inc. created tests to correlate with the simulation results, thereby enabling the client to compare the two outcomes without destroying the vehicle.

TRC Inc. prides itself on numerous such collaborations, wherein the company has helped clients leap over obstacles efficiently and cost-effectively. The CEO says that this success trail has been paved by the team’s collective experience and expertise in the transportation and mobility space. “We are well-positioned for the future of mobility, and quite recently, we constructed a 540-acre SMARTCenter test site on our 4,500- acre central Ohio campus, specifically for clients developing automated and connected technologies. At the start of 2021, we extended our research expertise to the West Coast, with a 10-year agreement to manage operations and expand research capabilities at the California AutoTech Testing and Development Center, which lies in close proximity to the high-technology hubs of Silicone Valley and the San Francisco Bay area. As we have done in Ohio with the new SMARTCenter, our focus in California will be world-class services, expertise and infrastructure for advanced testing of autonomous- and connected vehicle technologies.

And that’s our secret sauce the intellectual horsepower, our team’s skill sets, and the technological infrastructure that is designed to mitigate varied automotive and transportation requirements,” adds Roubinek. Building upon these value propositions, TRC Inc. continues to work intimately with clients a mantra that has proven to be crucial in the current day and age, where the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted manufacturing workflows globally. For the foreseeable future, TRC Inc. aspires to deepen its role in the simulation arena and address newer disparities across product development life cycles.