Innovative Connectors for Steel Enabled Construction

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Tata Steel are looking for innovative connectors for steel enabled construction.

Application Deadline
June 16th, 2019
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Summary

Background

Tata Steel’s whole business is geared towards understanding its customers’ needs. The company offers a range of different services backed up by world-class research and development facilities, a customercentric new product development process, a knowledgeable account management team staffed with experts on individual market sectors and a range of customer technical services engineers who proactively help customers improve everything from the efficiency of their manufacturing lines to the performance of the end product in use.

Challenge

Tata Steel is interested in developing new approaches to construction and have identified connections as an area where there is scope for considerable innovation and opportunity to radically change the way building infrastructures are constructed. Potential solutions ideally should meet the key success criteria:

  • Easy-to-use: with minimal training by a semi-skilled workforce
  • Re-usable: capable of re-positioning, or redeployment on another construction project
  • Sustainable: made with, from or by materials and processes which can be certified for their impact on the environment
  • Allow differentiation; from other systems and products in the marketplace

Steel is traditionally fixed by either welded connections, bolts and - in light gauge thicknesses – self-tapping screws or rivets. These methods have historically served the industry well but in a modernising and increasingly offsite oriented construction industry, there is a requirement for alternative approaches which can increase speed of construction, lower overall cost and hence contribute to a needed increase in productivity.

What's in it for you?

Tata Steel is open to all approaches that meet the key success criteria. However, technologies for which IP is owned by others, theoretical ideas with no experimental support and funding requests for proof of concept will not be accepted.

A successful collaboration could mean joint development, contract research, technology acquisition and a supply agreement (to be negotiated).

This is a global challenge and Tata Steel are willing to collaborate with both individuals/freelancers and other industry participants/universities etc. and solutions can be at any stage of development, from concept to market-ready.

If you have or are developing solutions, or if you have expertise in the above, please click "Apply" to submit your solution/expertise to the Network.