30 Grades clos
New Chief executive 2019 – Jason Field
Download 0.52 Mb. View original pdf
|
- Navigate this page:
- Gore-Tex ® , a breathable fabric
| New Chief executive 2019 – Jason Field Jason Field was appointed Chief Executive of W.L. Gore in 2019. He says that it took him awhile to adjust to the unusual working environment. Although roles and responsibilities at Gore are clearly defined, they are not captured in neat organisational charts, and the only concession to hierarchy is the word leader on a select number of business cards. In Gore’s lattice organisation, anyone can talk to anyone, and no one tells another what to do. Instead new employees – all of whom become shareholders if they stay – are encouraged to navigate their own way through the business. Gore-Tex ® and W.L. Gore & Associates an innovative company and a contemporary culture M04 Innovation Management and New Product Development 51523.indd 134 20/11/2020 20:30 Management tools for innovation 135 ➔ ‘We extend a lot of freedoms to associates says Mr Field. For individuals who are strongly personally motivated and self-driven, that usually works well from the outset. For those who are used to being directed and told how to do things, it’s a challenge Not everyone is able to adapt, he notes (FT.com, 2019). Gore-Tex ® , a breathable fabric In 1969, Bob Gore discovered that rapidly stretching PTFE created a very strong, microporous material this became known as expanded PTFE, or ePTFE), which offered a range of new, desirable properties. To be effective, a waterproof fabric needs to be able to prevent moisture getting from the outside to the inside. Furthermore, a waterproof fabric must have the ability to withstand water entry inactive conditions, such as walking in wind-driven rain and sitting or kneeling on a wet surface. In the case of garments for wear, especially inactive conditions, perspiration is a common problem. If perspiration vapour becomes trapped inside clothing, it can condense into liquid moisture that causes dampness – and wet heat loss is 23 times faster than dry heat loss. A fabric that would enable moisture to escape and at the same time prevent moisture from entering would seem unachievable, but that is precisely what the Gore-Tex ® fabric does. Raincoats incorporating the Gore-Tex ® fabric were first introduced way back in 1976, hence the patent for the breathable fabric expired in 1996. However, new patents are still active on improved methods of making Gore-Tex ® fabric. There are now many generic versions of breathable fabric on the market. The success of the product has been witnessed largely in the s as outdoor pursuits grew rapidly in popularity during this period. This led to an explosion in sales of Gore- Tex ® related products, such as coats, backpacks, shoes and trousers. Indeed, clothing manufacturers who used the Gore-Tex ® fabric in their garments, such as Berghaus, Karrimor and North Face, became household names, as this once esoteric specialised clothing market became mainstream. Download 0.52 Mb. Share with your friends:
|