Corning's new £142M manufacturing plant in New York state will turn out ceramic material to filter hazardous particulates from diesel engines. The company anticipates the plant, employing 250 people, could make products worth up to US$1BN/pa by 2009. "There is a degree of technology risk about most things we do" said Mr W Weeks, CE. "At any one time we are examining a series of new ideas, but we know that probably half of them won't work." This way of working is endemic to Corning, a company whose long-term record of coming up with innovative products is one of the most impressive in the world. Formed in 1851, it has been a technology leader in a number of key areas, from light bulbs to TVs. In the past 2 years, Corning's stock price has healthily outperformed others listed on Wall St as it has emerged the world's biggest maker of high-purity glass for flat-screen TVs & monitors.
