IN TOUCH
ROCHESTERNEXT.COM
Rochesterhas stakedout a rolein thetouchscreensensorindustry
The basic technology under-lying the booming touchscreenindustry is in themidst of ama-jor transition and Rochester ispoised to capitalize on the newdevelopments.
More than 90 percent oftouchscreens use transparentindium tin oxide (ITO) as theconductor that detects finger-tip motion. But, experts say,ITO is expensive, difficult towork with, and found only inone area of mainland China,which controls its availabilityand price.
A new alternative approachuses virtually invisible nano-scale lines of copper or silverinstead of ITO to form a metalmesh conductor for smart-phones, tablets and other de-vices.
The advantages could leadto a major shift in manufactur-ing and provide enormous op-portunities for developers ofthe new metal mesh technol-ogy.
While ITO must be appliedto a stiff surface, such as glass,metalmeshcanbeusedon flex-
ible surface or substrate, andthat’s where Eastman KodakCo. comes in.
Industry doubling
Kodak’s expertise and re-sources for making film natu-rallygives it a leguponproduc-ing the flexible substratewithanearly invisible metal mesh“printed” on the surface.
That led toanannouncementinApril thatKodak andUniPix-el Inc. agreed to manufacturetouch sensors in EastmanBusi-nessPark.The$24millionplantis now under construction inBuilding 326 at the park.
“UniPixel hasn’t had a pur-chase order yet. Right nowthey’re ramping capacity tomeetanticipateddemand,”saidGrant Stude, an analyst for Lio-lios Group in Newport Beach,Calif., an investor relationsfirm representing UniPixel.
By the end of 2013, UniPix-el’s Rochester facility is ex-pected to have a capacity of 1.3million square feet of touch-screen sensors and employ 65to 75 workers, who will largely
Democrat and Chronicle Sunday, July 14, 2013
Len LaCara Business Editor (585) [email protected]
Len LaCara
“The city was and still is the center ofa various, intelligent, enterprising, liberal,and growing population. ... Its peoplewere industrious and in comfortable cir-cumstances — not so rich as to be indiffer-ent to the claims of humanity, and not sopoor as to be unable to help any goodcause which commanded the approval oftheir judgment.”
— Frederick Douglass on Rochester, in hisautobiography
Frederick Douglass moved to Roches-ter in 1847 and stayed for 25 years. Doestoday’s Rochester reflect the feelings ofDouglass?
I applaud theDemocrat and Chroniclefor pushing into daylight the discussion ofrace in our community. The pronouncedracial divide in wealth and income has ledto the unhealthy development of twodistinct communities, the urban poor andsuburbia. It has also been well-document-ed that Rochester is one of the most char-
itable regions, per capita, in the U.S. I’mgrowing concerned that we may be suf-fering fromwhat French philosopherAlbert Camus observed: “Too many havedispensed with generosity in order topractice charity.”
Last month, my wife and I went to thefinal evening of the jazz festival and werepart of the multitude entertained byTrombone Shorty. The crowd was big,diverse and getting along great. It was asea of humanity at its finest.
The business of music can create anon-threatening and non-judgmentalmedium by which dialogue can bridge the
community, to gain a better appreciationand understanding of others’ circum-stances and trials. If we could find a wayto further community dialogue on race inthis setting, progress could be made andeconomic opportunities developed.
The expression of an art form, musicin this case, has proved to be a catalystfor innovation since the Greek philoso-pher Pythagoras put forth the theory2,500 years ago that music was equally asimportant as math.
Every couple of Saturdays, I go to theRochester Public Market on North UnionStreet. If you have never gone, you owe itto yourself to go. It is easily the mostdiverse place in Rochester, as citizensfrom all walks of life conduct business asbuyers, sellers or simple social observ-ers. I’ve been going to the market sincemymother took me as a child in the ’60s,and it hasn’t changed. Rich, poor, black,white, Latino, Asian, Native American,
men, women and children— they are allthere.
The market-goers have great respectfor each other, which is evident in thecourteous and thoughtful way they inter-act. It is a lesson in civility and promotesunderstanding of others and their cul-tures. It seems this may be another venuethat could be used to further the con-versation on what we can do together toaddress the issues of poverty, unemploy-ment and our urban education crisis.
In 2003, the Ford Foundation published“Public Markets as a Vehicle for SocialIntegration and UpwardMobility.” Itconcluded that when commercial andsocial integration goals are in balance, themarket becomes both an anchor for com-mercial activity and a magnet for socialinteraction. Rochester has a gem at 280N. Union St.; I think it could prove worth-while in furthering our desire to “Unite.”
So let’s get to work.
Two local settings where the dividing lines vanish
PatrickBurkeOUTSIDE INSIGHTS
GO DEEPER ON DIGITALScan the code orclick on this story atRochesterNext.comfor a video featur-ing Kingsbury CEOBill Pollock.
Bennett J. LoudonStaff writer
D&C
See TOUCH, Page 5E
WHY DOES IT MATTER?The explosive growth of touchscreenshas local firms, including EastmanKodak Co, looking at ways to takeadvantage of the multibillion dollarmarket.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANI CHERCHIO
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