Client:
EDO Electro-Ceramic Products
Salt Lake City, Utah
EDO Electro-Ceramics products, was established in 1958 and is North America's largest producer of specialty piezoelectric material formulations, shapes and sizes. It is a leading supplier of actuator and sensor systems to the US military.

Task:
Commercialize EDO’s active vibrations control technology in the machine tool industry

The Role of Main Associates:
Define the market, product and business development plan.
Main Associates identified an opportunity that represented a balance between pervasive market impact, acuity of need and the minimum risk for EDO. The OD cylindrical grinder was chosen because it is one of the most important and most common machine tools. Grinding is the last operation in nearly every machined part. There are tens of thousands of grinders today experiencing component wear that is likely to cause increased vibration levels which quickly translate into degraded grinding performance, lower work-piece quality and increased cost. The typical solution is major overall or grinder replacement. For a few thousand dollars, a set of centers instrumented with EDO’s technology allows the grinder mechanically adjust itself in real-time, delaying if not preventing component wear, saving thousands of dollars per year in grinder maintenance (see inset).

Main Associates performed market research and developed the business plan that defined the market, customers, product description & performance, marketing and revenue projection. We supported the product up to its launch by forming strategic alliances with suppliers and machine tool manufacturers and providing additional marketing information.