Toyota announces supply chain research grant recipients

Lift truck manufacturer Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) has chosen three research projects for its funded research program to develop supply chain technologies, the company said in December. This year's winning projects focus on warehouse automation, electric vehicles, and Industry 4.0.

This is the second year for the TMHNA University Research Program, which promotes the development of next-generation technologies for supply chain, logistics, and material handling industry applications. As part of the program, the lift truck maker solicits proposals from universities across North America and then provides funding for the most promising ones. Selected proposals will receive financial support of up to $500,000 per year, with a possible extension of up to three years based on the research outcomes.

This year's winning proposals were selected from a field of candidates solicited from more than 60 leading universities. They include: "Intelligent Material Handling (iMH) Systems for Warehouse Applications," a proposal submitted by Michael Kuhl of the Rochester Institute of Technology; "A Unified Dynamic Control for Energy-Aware Electrical Vehicle Operations," submitted by Seok Gi Lee of the University of Miami; and "A Modeling Framework for Material Handling for Industry 4.0," submitted by Kevin Gue of the University of Louisville.

"The research this program generates fuels our industry's future technological advancements," TMHNA President and Chief Executive Officer Brett Wood said in a statement. "In our continued collaboration with top universities, professors, and researchers, we are excited to see how their work will impact our industry and the warehouse of the future."