Corning: From railroad signals to fiber optics.
9/4/2001
Best known as the producer of glass casserole dishes, Corning Incorporated is, in fact, one of America's oldest and most successful corporations and an industry leader in the information and telecommunications revolution. Marking its sesquicentennial, Corning commissioned the Winthrop Group to produce this remarkable company history. The introduction points out that "very few companies have made inventions that have affected humankind profoundly." Corning has made three: electric lighting, television, and fiber-optic communications—all of which share glass as their foundation. A crucial component of Corning's continued success is its emphasis on the 'art and science of glass.' The authors organize their chronology through the five generations of the Houghton family that served as chief executives from 1851 until 1996, illustrating how innovation, organizational change and leadership have successfully guided the company.