World Kitchen Enters Into Strategic Collaboration With Corning

ROSEMONT, Ill., March 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- World Kitchen, LLC and Corning Incorporated GLW today announced they have entered into a strategic cooperative agreement to explore new technology options in the area of housewares.  The agreement provides World Kitchen, one of the nation's leading housewares companies, the opportunity to work with Corning on glass and ceramic technologies, which could lead to new product development for the housewares industry. 

"Our largest brands still benefit from glass and glass ceramic technologies developed when we were part of Corning," said Carl Warschausky, CEO, World Kitchen.  "We are excited to work with a market leader in glass and glass ceramic materials, and look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration on possible new consumer housewares products." 

"We have exciting new advances in glass and ceramic technologies, and we look forward to collaborating on how we might apply these to new housewares solutions," said Henry Dunnenberger, Business Director, Corning Innovative Glass Solutions.

Corning divested its consumer products division in 1998 to a private equity firm, which consolidated this business into what is now known as World Kitchen.  The collaboration is expected to aid World Kitchen in the development of glass and glass ceramic products that provide added versatility, durability and functionality.  In addition, it should expand the possibilities for new colors, finishes and decorations, allowing for new designs and patterns. This agreement is expected to result in new products as early as the next two to three years.

About World Kitchen, LLC
Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., World Kitchen and its affiliates manufacture and market metal cookware, glass, ceramic and metal bakeware, tabletop products, cutlery and kitchen tools sold under well-known brand names, including Baker's Secret®, Chicago Cutlery®, Corelle®, CorningWare®, EKCO®, Magnalite®, OLFA®, OLO®, Pyrex®, Revere®, Snapware® and Visions®. The Pyrex and CorningWare trademarks are used under license from Corning Incorporated.

World Kitchen and its affiliates employ approximately 3,000 people, and have major manufacturing and distribution operations in North America and Asia-Pacific regions. For more information, visit http://www.worldkitchen.com.

About Corning Incorporated
Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 160 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy, and metrology.

Contact:
Molly Sheehan
Zeno Group
312-396-9743
molly.sheehan@zenogroup.com

SOURCE World Kitchen, LLC