Congratulations to the entire team at Calspan for being named 2018 ‘Crash Test Facility of the Year’ by Automotive Testing Technology International magazine.
Locally owned by John Yurtchuk and Louis Knotts since 2005, Calspan Corporation is pleased to announce its newest addition to the 72 acre research campus in Buffalo, New York has been named 2018 ‘Crash Test Facility’ of the Year by Automotive Testing Technology International magazine. This prestigious international magazine, published by UKi Media, covers all aspects of automotive testing and evaluation, including in-depth case studies, expert interviews and groundbreaking technology. The annual award is determined by open ballot for the entire automotive community and is chosen by a jury of automotive test experts and industry journalists.
The $25M vehicle crash test facility opened in January 2018 and is the first independent crash lab of its kind to be built in the U.S. in many years. A fully enclosed and highly secure facility specifically designed and constructed to support new vehicle development.
We spoke with Calspan’s Director of Vehicle Crash Testing, Gerald Goupil, to find out more about why Calspan’s lab is worthy of this title.
Why this lab? Why now?
The needs of the U.S. automotive industry are exploding. Established OEM’s are needing to outsource tests to new, global crash test standards. Start-ups and OEM transplants who do not have their own test facilities in the U.S. need to outsource 100% of all their tests. Hence this OEM caliber vehicle crash test laboratory was built to meet their every need.
What makes Calspan stand apart from other independent facilities in the U.S.?
“It has unique assets which are strongly desired by OEM’s like the dependability, precision, and accuracy of MESSRING’s MicroTrack, Propulsion System and its M=WALL high-resolution load cell walls.”
What are customers saying about this lab?
Customers are extremely impressed with this facility; especially the attention to detail and anticipation of future needs. “It’s better than our lab” said one OEM Crash Test Engineer.
What’s next for the facility in terms of investments, projects, and innovations?
“In alignment with Calspan’s mission and strategic plan, we continue to invest in order to position Calspan as the most modern and capable independent vehicle safety test laboratory in North America.”
According to Gregory Campbell, Vice President of Transportation Research at Calspan, “The Calspan Crash Test Laboratory is one part of Calspan’s multi-pronged plan for establishing a Global Transportation Safety Campus with the resources to test both passive and active safety.”
Calspan’s crash testing facilities include a test track, indoor/outdoor full vehicle crash lab, an instrumentation calibration and ATD certification lab, vehicle preparation bays and a fully enclosed and highly secure full vehicle crash test facility. This new facility has everything needed to prepare and execute a crash test under one roof. To meet the demands of this cutting-edge operation, Calspan is actively recruiting top automotive industry engineers to staff the world-class facility.
To learn more about Calspan’s lab, visit Calspan.com.
Date Posted
11/28/18Topic
Company News Mobility & Safety
