COMPOUND
KNOWLEDGE
From the plant floor to the sales floor, our passion for learning has no ceiling. We’re constantly searching for a deeper understanding of our products and their applications.
For us, sharing insights with each other is our most important resource. It was that humble quest for knowledge that led to the invention of the furnace black process and investment in one of the first electron microscopes. And what we discovered, we shared with the world. Focusing on what’s now while imagining what’s next is truly what feeds us. On behalf of the industry and our customers, exchanging that expertise is what fuels our motivation and ignites our inspiration. Because we yield our best results when we’re open to others’ perspectives and work together to make the difference.
COMPOUND
KNOWLEDGE
From the plant floor to the sales floor, our passion for learning has no ceiling. We’re constantly searching for a deeper understanding of our products and their applications.
For us, sharing insights with each other is our most important resource. It was that humble quest for knowledge that led to the invention of the furnace black process and investment in one of the first electron microscopes. And what we discovered, we shared with the world. Focusing on what’s now while imagining what’s next is truly what feeds us. On behalf of the industry and our customers, exchanging that expertise is what fuels our motivation and ignites our inspiration. Because we yield our best results when we’re open to others’ perspectives and work together to make the difference.
A DRIVE FOR INNOVATION
In the early years, B.F. Goodrich Company tires were white. But when the company began experimenting with “Silvertown” tires to change up their look, they discovered that the tread rubber was not just gray—it also had a longer life.
The Silvertown manufacturer had been using a small amount of Binney & Smith carbon black to give its tires their tint, and Goodrich discovered that increasing the amount bound the rubber particles together, making the tires stronger. So in 1911, they put out a request for a manufacturer that could produce an annual supply of one million pounds of carbon black.
Binney & Smith took on that challenge, forming the Columbian Carbon Company in response. By searching for a more in-depth understanding and imagining a better way, they soon developed and patented the formula for creating carbon black in pellet form, which allowed them to produce more significant quantities.
The value Binney & Smith brought to the B.F. Goodrich Company was worth more than the 280,000 tons in volume they delivered. Through their willingness to work together and exchange expertise, they promoted their partnership. And by consistently pushing beyond the limitations of the pigment, together they created a tire that could make mobility more practical, more affordable, and more accessible— benefitting the lives of millions.
A LONG-SOUGHT LOOK
It’s been over 75 years since our historic installation of one of the world’s first industrial electron microscopes—but it’s an invention that keeps innovating.
The electron microscope was a revelation—literally. Before it, no one had seen the structure of carbon black. It was a long-sought look into the mysteries of what makes carbon black strong. With this powerful tool in hand, what we discovered we shared with the world, revolutionizing our industry and leading the way forward.
Decades later, our customers say that our carbon black identification technology (CB ID) is still the best in the industry, and we gladly share our process with them to this day. Some have even visited our lab to get a look into the microscope themselves. To them, and to us, it’s still just as much of a revelation as it was in 1941.
