Cooperation is an engine of progress, especially in times of globalization. Legendary Ford Motor Company and H.J. Heinz Company have partnered in joint research on using tomato fibers in car manufacturing.
Ford & Heinz want to investigate how dried tomatoes skins left after ketchup production might turn into material used for wiring brackets, interior compartments, and other car parts. Such know-how will let reduce the volume of oil used in plastic manufacturing and cut costs as bio-based materials are much cheaper to produce.
The innovation project is green as the environmental footprint is limited. As for Heinz, it will derive benefit from the deal as well since the company does not have to recycle the manufacturing waste. Heinz just sells it.
"Our goal is to develop a strong, lightweight material that meets our vehicle requirements, while at the same time reducing our overall environmental impact," Ellen Lee, a Ford plastics research technical specialist, said in a statement. The project has already gained a motto: You Say Tomato; We Say Tom-Auto”. The scientific research is in progress so far, so nobody knows yet when tomato-based vehicle parts will be available on the market.
Let’s see where this deliciously new car manufacturing technology will bring us.