Corning Launches New FLORA™ Substrates with Honda Motor Company

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Corning Launches New FLORA™ Substrates
with Honda Motor Company

Corning Launches New FLORA™ Substrates with Honda

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Corning Launches New FLORA™ Substrates with Honda Motor Company
Corning Launches New FLORA™ Substrates with Honda Motor Company
CORNING, N.Y. | Corning Incorporated | February 05, 2015

Next-generation substrates heat up faster for improved cold-start emissions performance 

Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) announces the introduction of Corning® FLORA™ 600/3 substrates, a next-generation ceramic product designed to reduce vehicle emissions at engine start. Honda Motor Company will equip select model year 2016 vehicles with the new technology to improve cold-start emissions performance.

Stringent new emissions regulations in the U.S. and Europe will require a substantial improvement in mobile emissions beginning in 2017. In gasoline vehicles, up to 70 percent of regulated emissions can occur during the first 30 seconds after engine start. Addressing these “cold-start” emissions is critical to meet the new standards.

FLORA™ substrates feature an optimized material microstructure to enable lower cold-start emissions and better fuel efficiency. The novel material reaches operating temperature quicker than standard substrates, so catalytic converters can clean exhaust emissions earlier without increased fuel or additional precious metal.

“Our FLORA substrate represents an important step forward for emissions control technology, and we are pleased to work with Honda to bring this innovation to market,” said Hal Nelson, vice president and general manager of Corning Environmental Technologies. “This new technology is another example of Corning’s material and process expertise at work to help create cleaner, healthier air in communities around the world.”

Vehicle and engine manufacturers can leverage FLORA™ substrates’ advantages in their after-treatment system designs to control emissions in a cost-effective way without sacrificing performance. The substrates provide the flexibility to lower non-methane organic compound emissions, reduce precious metal use, and improve fuel efficiency. Both light-duty gasoline and diesel applications can benefit from FLORA™ substrates.
 
Corning will begin production of FLORA™ substrates in early 2015, and start shipping to Honda in time for model year 2016 platform builds. The substrates will be manufactured at Corning Environmental Technologies’ facility in Erwin, N.Y.

Corning is a leading supplier of advanced cellular ceramic substrates and particulate filters for the world's major manufacturers of gasoline and diesel engines. The company invented an economical, high-performance, cellular ceramic substrate in the early 1970s that is now the standard for catalytic converters worldwide. In 1978, Corning developed the cellular ceramic particulate filter to remove soot from diesel emissions. Corning continues to leverage its expertise in materials, processes, and manufacturing to develop advanced ceramic substrates and diesel particulate filters that help meet demanding mobile emissions requirements.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which are based on current expectations and assumptions about Corning’s financial results and business operations, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include: the effect of global political, economic and business conditions; conditions in the financial and credit markets; currency fluctuations; tax rates; product demand and industry capacity; competition; reliance on a concentrated customer base; manufacturing efficiencies; cost reductions; availability of critical components and materials; new product commercialization; pricing fluctuations and changes in the mix of sales between premium and non-premium products; new plant start-up or restructuring costs; possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity, armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, or major health concerns; adequacy of insurance; equity company activities; acquisition and divestiture activities; the level of excess or obsolete inventory; the rate of technology change; the ability to enforce patents; product and components performance issues; retention of key personnel; stock price fluctuations; and adverse litigation or regulatory developments. These and other risk factors are detailed in Corning’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the day that they are made, and Corning undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.

About Corning Incorporated
Corning (www.corning.com) is one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science. For more than 160 years, Corning has applied its unparalleled expertise in specialty glass, ceramics, and optical physics to develop products that have created new industries and transformed people’s lives. Corning succeeds through sustained investment in R&D, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and close collaboration with customers to solve tough technology challenges. Corning’s businesses and markets are constantly evolving. Today, Corning’s products enable diverse industries such as consumer electronics, telecommunications, transportation, and life sciences. They include damage-resistant cover glass for smartphones and tablets; precision glass for advanced displays; optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions for high-speed communications networks; trusted products that accelerate drug discovery and manufacturing; and emissions-control products for cars, trucks, and off-road vehicles.