Ford: Auto Inventors Wanted

Photos: Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is betting that the ‘Next Big Thing’ that comes to automobile customers may not come from within itself. The company has recently engaged outsiders to provide ideas, both from the general public and university students. Now, it is looking to the ‘tinkerer’ as a potential source of innovation.

In conjunction with California-based TechShop, a collaborative program has been announced with the intention to open a Detroit-area workshop, where members can access machinery and specialized facilities to turn ideas into reality. Started in 2006, TechShop runs membership-driven, open access facilities, currently in California and North Carolina.

“With TechShop, we are bringing the concept of individual involvement to life in a physical space where people can develop their ideas, create prototypes and display them,” said Bill Coughlin, president and CEO of Ford Global Technologies.

Whether you need space, tools or equipment access, the TechShop concept makes it available not only to amateur inventors, but also for industry employees that need to work on their own ideas.

“Inventors don’t have access to the same type of equipment or tools during off-hours as they do during work hours,” explained Mark Hatch, TechShop CEO. “We want to offer them an affordable place to go that has the necessary equipment and resources to make their inventive ideas a reality.”

In addition to equipment and tools, TechShop locations feature classrooms for training classes, a creative brainstorming lounge, a conference room , computer workstations with software and high speed Wi-Fi Internet access. The company has signed a non-binding Letter Of Intent to lease a building at 800 Republic Drive in Dearborn in which they intend to build the TechShop Detroit facility. membership access plans start from $99 monthly. For more information on TechShop, visit their web site.

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