Corning Watch column: Gorilla Glass could drive auto industry

The well-known story of Corning Inc.’s unsuccessful foray into the automotive glass market in the 1960s may have a happy ending sooner than you think.

The Fortune 500 company’s development of a superior auto windshield using a robust glass called Chemcor was generally ignored by automakers in the 1960s and beyond.

Chemcor found its way into other Corning products, including tableware, but never really made a big splash in the auto business.

When Steve Jobs turned to Corning in 2006 to make a cover glass for Apple Computer’s new iPhone, the result was a chemically strengthened glass that Corning called Gorilla Glass.

Gorilla Glass is not a direct descendant of Chemcor, despite the widespread assumption that the two are somehow related.

Since Gorilla Glass was first created for the iPhone, a myth has developed that it is simply a dusted-off version of Chemcor. Corning Inc. says that is a misunderstanding of the facts because Gorilla Glass required a new composition and other changes.

That said, Gorilla Glass may be poised to do what Chemcor could not: crack open the automotive market in a big way.

A top Corning research scientist told investors in New York City earlier this month that Gorilla Glass, already adopted for use in some BMW models, may soon be coming to less pricey vehicles.

“We are also collaborating with industry-leading auto glazers to bring Gorilla Glass to more mainstream vehicles,” said David L. Morse, Corning’s chief technology officer. “At nearly six billion square feet of glass consumed annually, it is a sizable opportunity.”

Corning Inc. is expected to announce agreements with additional automakers in the near future. The company is also working on railroad and aviation applications for Gorilla Glass.

The emphasis of Corning Inc.’s research efforts used to be developing new products to replace those whose sales were declining.

Today, however, research is aimed more at extending current products into new markets. By doing so, Corning doesn’t have to create entirely new products or completely new manufacturing processes. That helps keep research and development costs down while at the same time increasing sales and profits.