Institute of Research for Technology Development

The Institute of Research for Technology Development (IR4TD) is dedicated to research, education, outreach, and service. At IR4TD, we believe companies want more than survival in today’s economy; they want to prosper and grow. To accomplish this, companies must proactively seek new and better ways to provide the goods and services they offer. This means they must stay abreast of new technology, be versatile enough to change rapidly, work hard to improve quality while reducing waste continuously, and set themselves apart from their competitors. To answer these needs, IR4TD offers two programs, Research & Development and Lean Systems, designed to provide new ideas and solutions.

Learn more about IR4TD research

Paint and Spray Technology

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Non Destructive Evaluation

Lean Systems

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 IR4TD, True LeanTM, and Pigman College of Engineering Celebrated the 30 Years of UK and Toyota Partnership Gatton Student Center - Harris Ballroom

IR4TD Highlighted Events

IR4TD Researcher won the Best Paper Award at IEOM Conference "Lean 4.0 and Sustainability: An Empirical Study of Performance Outcomes in the US Manufacturing”

Dr. Catherine Maware and Maryam Amro presented their research, "Evaluating the Impact of Lean 4.0 on Sustainability: An Empirical Study of Performance Outcomes in the U.S. Manufacturing Sector," at the 10th North American IEOM Conference.

"Augmenting energy efficiency in automotive paint ovens: a review of future prospects and potential for lean, six sigma, AI, and IoT integration"

New Publication "Augmenting energy efficiency in automotive paint ovens: a review of future prospects and potential for lean, six sigma, AI, and IoT integration"

IR4TD, together with the Mechanical Engineering Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, published a new article on Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal.

Key contributions:

A literature review on energy use in automotive painting, identifying inefficiencies and potential improvements.
A new six-phase GLSS-EnMS framework that aligns with ISO 50001:2018 for systematic energy management.
Integration of AI-based Deep Learning Predictive Energy Modeling (DL-PEM) and real-time IoT sensor networks to enable automation, predictive maintenance, and energy optimization.
Case studies and examples showing successful AI/IoT use in predictive control of paint ovens, energy modeling, and defect reduction.
A practical implementation plan consisting of three stages: framework application, DL-PEM/IoT development, and pilot deployment with scalability.

News

UK, Toyota celebrate 30 years of partnering to advance the Commonwealth

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 23, 2024) — The Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering at the University of Kentucky, in collaboration with Toyota Kentucky, is marking 30 years of partnership, which has transformed engineering education and academic research through efficiency and innovation. On Tuesday, Oct. 22, leaders from academia, government and industry gathered at UK’s Gatton Student Center to celebrate the milestone and reflect on the impact throughout Kentucky and beyond.

UK, Toyota Join Forces to 'Lift Up' KCH Patients

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 5, 2019) — On any given game day, thousands of University of Kentucky Football fans decked out in blue fill Kroger Field. It's an electric atmosphere that is better felt in-person than through a TV screen. But for some young Wildcat fans, attending a game and cheering on the Cats can be challenging. Luckily, for patients of the Kentucky Children's Hospital (KCH), engineers are experts at solving complex problems.

The Institute of Research for Technology Development Celebrate the dedication of the Ken Kreafle True Lean Networking Lounge

Jeff Stryker is the owner of two Chick-fil-A locations in Lexington Kentucky, Nicholasville Road and Turfland Mall. Early in Stryker’s tenure as owner, he realized he needed a more efficient operational system to run his stores. Stryker learned about Toyota’s lean practices while reading a book in the airport. When he returned from his travels and was back in his store, he met customers by chance who were working with the UK True Lean program. Stryker did some research and enrolled in the class. This was a significant milestone for Stryker and his stores in their Lean journeys.