For over 50 years, UPP has manufactured parts and built custom production machinery for leading international companies.

Universal Precision Products Inc (UPP) of Akron has entered a five-year manufacturing agreement with Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc of Billerica, Massachusetts.

"We are very pleased to be one of Nuvera's partners," says Jon Munson, UPP president.

"We were chosen by Nuvera because of our imaginative approach to their storage problem and the anticipated changes in the system," says Ed Wise, UPP vice president of business development. "So, while we're manufacturing their current design, we expect significant design changes and cost reductions over the next year or two."

Wise sees promise. "While our initial relationship is with Nuvera, we expect increased exposure to, and involvement with, the entire forklift industry."

Nuvera chose UPP as its manufacturing partner for the integration of compression and storage components of Nuvera's PowerTap-brand hydrogen station. Nuvera conducted a nationwide search for the correct partner.

The station will provide compressed hydrogen used to fuel forklift trucks equipped with Nuvera's PowerEdge-brand hybrid fuel cell systems, which can replace standard lead acid batteries.

The station, along with a hydrogen generator and a PowerEdge unit, form the Total Power Solution, a set of purpose-built products for the materials handling industry specifically matched to maximize customer productivity and minimise customer lifecycle costs.

Wise notes that UPP designs and builds custom industrial process machinery and factory automation systems requiring that "our relationships demand secrecy and confidentiality. We take that very seriously. Nuvera is a break from that tradition since improvements in support equipment such as our storage system enhance the entire fuel cell industry, not just Nuvera."

As for business growth, Wise does not expect "any serious (UPP) volume in hydrogen storage systems for a year or two".