[August 01, 2014]

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Chief Scientist Tours NanoMech's Factories and Laboratories

Today, the Chief Scientist for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Dr. Timothy Persons visited Northwest Arkansas to meet with NanoMech and tour their facilities in Springdale and Fayetteville. At the request of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Dr. Persons led a strategic forum on nanomanufacturing to explore participants' views concerning: 1) the anticipated scope of future nanomanufacturing developments and related effects; 2) U.S. investments and competitiveness in nanotechnology R&D 3) options for enhancing U.S. nanomanufacturing competitiveness; and 4) issues in addressing the environmental, health, and safety implications of nanomanufacturing. As a result of key input from expert forum participants, which included NanoMech Chairman & CEO Jim Phillips (News - Alert), the GAO published a 2014 report titled Nanomanufacturing: Emergence and Implications for U.S. Competitiveness, the Environment, and Human Health (GAO-14-181SP). Dr. Persons also wrote an Op-Ed for Scientific American titled Does the American Innovation System Need a Reboot? (A link to the full report can be found here.)

Dr. Timothy Persons tours NanoMech's factory and labs accompanied by some of the company's scientists and executives. (Photo: Business Wire)

Dr. Persons visited NanoMech's advanced nanomanufacturing plant and laboratories, including a tour of the 25,000 sq. ft. expansion that is underway and due for completion in September.

"The important innovation NanoMech is accomplishing in nano-engineered and manufactured coatings and lubricants is truly breakthrough and exemplifies American values for pushing technology progress for the benefit of mankind," said Dr. Pesons. "NanoMech is a shining example of the U.S. ecosystem fostering public-private partnerships, University tech transfer and commercialization, and the determination to succeed on an increasingly competitive global stage."

"NanoMech is proud to host Dr. Persons, given his tremendous reputation in the field of science, and his dedication to increasing American competitiveness through finely tuned public-private partnerships that encompass updated 21st-century global strategy and tactics," Phillips said. "U.S. based, leading edge technology manufacturers are intensely driven to succeed based on wit, grit and time sensitive achievement, but we have to increasingly compete against those that are State-run, who bring unlimited capital, and scale into the competitive production arena in pursuit of product advancements and bolstering knowledge based jobs."

Deborah Wince-Smith, CEO of the Council on Competitiveness (www.compete.org) and also a member of NanoMech's Board of Directors, praises NanoMech for their innovative work. "In a world of turbulence, transition and transformation, nothing matters more to the competitiveness of companies and countries than innovation and manufacturing prowess.

"The ability to develop and deploy the most cutting-edge tools and products to bolster U.S. advanced manufacturing will deliver outsized benefits to the U.S. industrial base. NanoMech and TuffTek^® are at the leading edge of a resurgent U.S. manufacturing capability - one that is not dumb, dirty, dangerous and disappearing; but is smart, safe, sustainable and surging."

Hosted by Dr. Ajay P. Malshe, Founder and CTO of NanoMech and Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Greg Salamo, Distinguished Professor of Physics and Executive Director of the Nano Materials Science and Engineering Institute at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Persons toured the Institute including the ultra-high resolution materials analytical facility. "The Nano Materials Science and Engineering Institute is a major asset to the region as leading nano engineering companies, like NanoMech can utilize the vast array of scientific apparatuses including world-class electron microscopes to help advance their technology and industry breakthrough products that increase Arkansas', and at large, America's global manufacturing competitiveness," Malshe said. NanoMech is the largest industrial user and rents the Institute's materials analytical facility including electron microscopes for ultra-high resolution cross-sectional nanostructural and elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction for crystallographic analysis, etc.

About U.S. Government Accountability Office

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General of the United States, is appointed to a 15-year term by the President. Its mission is to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people, providing Congress with timely information that is objective, fact-based, nonpartisan, nonideological, fair, and balanced.

About NanoMech

NanoMech Inc. was founded in 2002 and creates advanced engineering materials through patent and patent-pending nano-engineered and nano-manufactured product development. NanoMech is recognized as a leader in innovation and technology. Their breakthroughs in nano-materials and manufacturing include the first cubic boron nitride coating for machine tools and advanced nano-engineered lubricants. The company's products have applications in very advanced machining and manufacturing, lubrication and energy, sustainable protective multi-functional coatings for textiles and other consumer products, strategic military applications and biomedical implant coatings. In the last year, NanoMech has been presented with the prestigious R&D 100 Award, the Edison Award, and most recently, the Tibbetts Award, making it the only company in Arkansas' history to sweep all three awards. NanoMech is a member of President Obama's Materials Genome Initiative, the U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative (USMCI) and the U.S. Technology Leadership and Strategy Initiative, both based in Washington, DC. For more information please visit www.NanoMech.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140801005850/en/

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