The ITT Motion Technologies' Friction business created the "UniTo-ITT Joint Lab" with the University of Turin.

Focused on the development of breakthrough customer innovation, fifteen researchers from both the ITT Friction Technologies business unit and the University will work together in an incubator environment to intensely study research of automotive and braking systems, and accelerate product development. Those involved will come from diverse backgrounds - chemistry, physics, computer science, mathematics and engineering - to contribute multiple perspectives.

"This is an exciting moment for our business," said ITT Motion Technologies' Chief Innovation Officer Luca Martinotto. "The automotive market continues to rapidly change and this collaboration will allow us to speed up our thinking of our customers' future needs, and accelerate the technology transfer that goes into making high-quality friction technologies that help ensure people's safety."

Together, the two parties will study macro trends in the automotive field. To begin, the group of researchers will focus on strategic areas such as the development of innovative materials, surface science and technology, and artificial intelligence.

"We are seeing a dynamic shift in the automotive market, where many different stakeholders are prioritizing the development of advanced types of vehicles," said Agusti Sin, Director of Materials and Process Innovation for ITT's Friction Technologies business. "As our customers continue to explore unique and emerging markets, we know they will have different requirements for braking systems. However, these challenges present great opportunities for Friction Technologies to create innovative solutions for the auto market.”

The Joint Lab began in October 2019 quickly after the agreement, and the activity is occurring both at Motion Technologies' Innovation Center in Barge, Italy and at a dedicated incubator space at the University of Turin. This will allow the researchers to utilize ITT's expertise in chemistry and physics, but also key equipment in the University's new electron microscopy center, which was built with a vision on all the phenomena of friction, wear and environmental impact.

This new environment will facilitate the cross-fertilization and stimulate an agile transfer of the technology to ITT's Friction business allowing the company to deliver greater results for its customers and partners.

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