Partnership between Purdue, Wabash aims to get innovation to market faster

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Wabash National recently announced a partnership with Purdue University to help develop its innovative products, thus getting them on the market faster than ever.

The five-year agreement between Wabash and Purdue will serve as a research and development partnership with particular focus on transportation changes regarding deliveries.

Wabash National is an innovation leader for engineered solutions regarding various transportation, logistics and distribution industries, according to the release. With its headquarters in Lafayette, Wabash's main focus is helping its customers succeed with their breakthrough ideas, technologies and solutions to "help them move everything from first to final mile."

“The pace of change within transportation, logistics, and distribution has accelerated meaningfully in the past two years," Robert Lane, vice president of innovation at Wabash, said in the release. "Wabash’s capabilities within research and development, as well as commercialization of new products, has to match this increased speed.

"As the visionary leader in our industry, we’re continually pursuing design and engineering innovations within our industry-leading first to final mile product portfolio. With Purdue’s partnership we can move more quickly to help our customers solve problems that derive from the intersection of logistics changes, emerging technologies and environmental consciousness.”

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According to the release, this multiyear partnership aims to connect Wabash to Purdue's Office of Industry Partnerships. This will allow Wabash to utilize Purdue's resources to their greatest extent.

Wabash designs and manufactures a wide range of distribution products including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers; platform trailers; tank trailers; dry and refrigerated truck bodies; structural composite panels and products; trailer aerodynamic solutions and specialty food grade processing equipment.

"(Resources) ranging from advanced engineering and quantum computing power to material sciences and emerging EV technology, to deliver new or improved sustainability-focused solutions to the transportation, logistics and distribution industries (will become available)," the release states.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue, Wabash partnership aims to get innovation to market faster