Corning Aims to Improve Its Gorilla Glass Screens

The first thing most consumers associate with Corning, the creator of Pyrex glassware, probably isn’t a smartphone. The company, which sold most of its Pyrex business in 1998, has become the leading manufacturer of the glass placed over mobile device screens. Its Gorilla Glass is the fastest-growing product in its 163-year history, according to Chief Executive Officer Wendell Weeks.

With U.S. smartphone sales slowing, device makers are looking for new ways to stand out, and Corning is racing to make its screens stronger, thinner, and maybe even curvier before a rival can catch up. “Today, glass still breaks, and glass still scratches,” says Dave Velasquez, director of marketing and commercial operations for Gorilla Glass. “Until those things go to zero, the customer is not going to be happy.”