Company

PPG Industries

TL;DR

Glass and coatings company that serves as a cautionary example of knowledge preservation failure.

Materials / Coatings

Glass and coatings company that serves as a cautionary example of knowledge preservation failure. PPG researched chemically strengthened glass in the 1960s-1970s but didn't preserve research documentation when projects were discontinued. When the smartphone glass opportunity emerged in 2007, PPG couldn't quickly access old research and missed the market entirely, ceding the opportunity to Corning's Gorilla Glass.

Cautionary Notes on PPG Industries

  • Failed to preserve 1960s-1970s glass research documentation
  • Missed smartphone glass market opportunity due to knowledge loss

Related Mechanisms for PPG Industries

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