Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
CONCORD, N.C. — Together, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence and Hendrick Motorsports are looking to develop more speed both on and off the track.
Thursday afternoon, the two organizations announced a landmark technology partnership.
The two-year agreement effectively merges metrology expertise and technology with the brightest engineering minds in auto racing. The relationship will expand Hendrick Motorsports’ in-house capabilities with additional measurement systems, training and expert technical support.
“This new relationship will give Hendrick Motorsports access to additional offerings and emerging technologies to drive performance across our entire organization,” Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt said. “Working closely with Hexagon’s technical personnel will provide a higher level of training and allow us to see the full potential of each product we use. It’s this combination of people and technology that will help both companies innovate and deliver results.”
Hendrick Motorsports is a longtime user of ROMER Absolute Arms and GridLOK volume-expansion systems as well as Hexagon coordinate measuring machines. Those solutions are used to inspect and assemble auto bodies, chassis and engine components for pre-race fine tuning and post-race evaluation.
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence will partner in collaborative technology development and problem solving with Hendrick Motorsports’ engineering team. As Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence develops new concepts in metrology, Hendrick Motorsports will have the opportunity to preview those advancements before the technology reaches the marketplace. The organization will also have the option to participate in beta testing and provide user feedback during the course of development projects. With multi-disciplinary expertise, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence will benefit from those early stage metrics and gain valuable insight into the intricate performance and manufacturing challenges found in NASCAR.
“We are honored to partner with Hendrick Motorsports, a dynamic team pushing the boundaries of manufacturing and metrology to ensure repeatable wins on the track. Our goals are the same…to cross the finish line first with speed and confidence in all aspects of the production process,” said Angus Taylor, president and CEO of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America. “This landmark agreement aligns Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence with a like-minded, highly successful partner, both of us committed to breaking new ground in our respective markets.”
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence experts in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area worked closely with the NASCAR Research and Development Center to develop the methodology used to verify and enforce race car design rules and exacting standards for chassis design. Hendrick Motorsports was an early adopter of the ROMER arm systems used to verify that each car adhered to the new standards. The portable coordinate measuring machines are also used to acquire coordinate data to gain insight into vehicle performance. Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence serves the metrology needs of motor sports teams and industries worldwide.
