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October 2021 #13267 Page #56
MiTek Measures Seismic Forces to Develop Stronger, Safer Products By Katie Kormann, Corporate Journalist
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iTek, a building industry innovator and enabler, continues to uncover ways to improve efficiencies and transform the building industry with better building solutions. In its latest endeavor, MiTek has designed and built a custom piece of equipment to perform lateral-load testing on walls that will allow the company to efficiently test and prove the safety of innovative solutions that resist wind and seismic loads on buildings. MiTek made a significant capital investment in this new technology, which will have far-reaching impact. The lateral test rack will be used to innovate and optimize existing MiTek solutions including Hardy Frames and Cold Form Steel Moment Frames, as well as create new lateral load-resisting solutions that MiTek is developing to improve the resilience of structures, keeping people safe and improving sustainability. MiTek partners around the world will benefit from this investment. In addition to the lateral test rack, MiTek’s Research & Design team is being expanded. Another engineer has been added to the team at the Fountain Lakes R&D facility in St. Charles, Missouri, where the test rack is housed. The engineer will work as part of MiTek’s Research & Design team under the supervision of the company’s lateral load expert. Jesse Karns, MiTek Director, Research & Development for Structural Components, said MiTek has always been invested and engaged in product development and testing, but he said much of that testing has occurred at universities or third-party agencies as part of strategic partnerships. Karns is excited that having the lateral test rack on site will allow the team to do more in-house testing. He said customers will benefit because the company will have more control over the testing process and will, in turn, be able to build better and faster.
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