Corning Earnings 2020-12-31

Balance Sheet	Income Statement	Cash Flow
Assets, Equity	Rev, G Profit, Net Income	Ops, Inv, Fin

glw-20201231x10k

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K


x	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020


o	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ___ to ___

Commission file number: 1-3247

CORNING INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


New York		16-0393470
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)


One Riverfront Plaza, Corning, New York		14831
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

607-974-9000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock	GLW	New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files.)

Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.


Large accelerated filer	x	Accelerated filer	o
Non-accelerated filer	o	Emerging growth company	o
Smaller reporting company	o

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ¨ No x

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $19 billion based on the $25.90 price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

There were 768,367,889 shares of Corning’s common stock issued and outstanding as of January 31, 2021.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement dated March 18, 2021, and filed for the Registrant’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as specifically set forth in Part III.

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PART I

Corning Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries are hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “Company,” the “Registrant,” “Corning,” “we,” “our,” or “us.”

This report contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements relate to plans, objectives, expectations and estimates and may contain words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” or similar expressions. Actual results could differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could contribute to these differences include those discussed under “Forward-Looking Statements,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and elsewhere in this report.

Item 1. Business

General

Corning traces its origins to a glass business established in 1851. The present corporation was incorporated in the State of New York in December 1936. The Company’s name was changed from Corning Glass Works to Corning Incorporated on April 28, 1989.

Corning Incorporated is a leading innovator in materials science. For almost 170 years, Corning has combined its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramic science, and optical physics with deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop category-defining products that transform industries and enhance people's lives. We succeed through sustained investment in research and development, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and deep, trust-based relationships with customers who are global leaders in their industries.

Corning’s capabilities are versatile and synergistic, allowing the company to evolve to meet changing market needs, while also helping customers capture new opportunities in dynamic industries. Today, Corning’s markets include optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, display technology, automotive emissions control, laboratory products and other glass products. Corning's industry-leading products include damage-resistant cover glass for mobile devices; precision glass for advanced displays; optical fiber and cable, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions for state-of-the-art communications networks; trusted products to accelerate drug discovery and delivery; and clean-air technologies for cars and trucks.

Corning operates in five reportable segments: Display Technologies, Optical Communications, Environmental Technologies, Specialty Materials and Life Sciences, and manufactures products at 122 plants in 15 countries.

Display Technologies Segment

Corning’s Display Technologies segment manufactures glass substrates for flat panel displays, including liquid crystal displays (“LCDs”) and organic light-emitting diode (“OLEDs”) that are used primarily in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, tablets and handheld devices. This segment develops, manufactures, and supplies high quality glass substrates using technology expertise and a proprietary fusion manufacturing process, which Corning invented and is the cornerstone of the Company’s technology leadership in the display glass industry. Our highly automated process yields glass substrates with a pristine surface and excellent thermal stability and dimensional uniformity – essential attributes in the production of large, high-performance display panels. Corning’s fusion process is scalable and we believe it is the most cost-effective process in producing large size substrates.

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We are recognized as a world leader in precision glass innovations that enable our customers to produce larger, thinner, more flexible, and higher-resolution displays. Some of the product innovations we have launched over the past ten years utilizing our world-class processes and capabilities include the following:

Corning® EAGLE XG® Slim Glass, Corning’s flagship glass product enabling thinner televisions and monitors with larger-sized screens; it is trusted by the world’s leading panel makers for LCD displays with more than 25 billion square feet sold;

Corning Astra® Glass, an innovative glass solution designed to meet the emerging needs for high-resolution displays. This glass is designed for oxide backplanes, but enables a range of applications made using traditional aluminosilicate to specific low temperature polysilicon processes;

Corning Lotus™ NXT Glass, a high-performance display glass designed to withstand high-temperature processing requirements enabling highest-resolution displays in smaller and flexible devices; and

The world’s first Gen 10 and Gen 10.5 glass substrate sizes in support of improved efficiency in manufacturing large-sized displays.

Corning has display glass manufacturing operations in China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, and services all its glass customers in all regions, utilizing its manufacturing facilities throughout Asia.

Patent protection and proprietary trade secrets are important to the Display Technologies segment’s operations. Refer to the material under the heading “Patents and Trademarks” for information relating to patents and trademarks.

The Display Technologies segment represented 28% of Corning’s segment net sales in 2020.

Optical Communications Segment

Corning invented the world’s first low-loss optical fiber in 1970. Since that milestone, we have continued to pioneer optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions. As global bandwidth demand driven by video usage grows exponentially, telecommunications networks continue to migrate from copper to optical-based systems that can deliver the required cost-effective bandwidth-carrying capacity. Our experience puts us in a unique position to design and deliver optical solutions that reach every edge of the communications network.

This segment is divided into two main product groupings – carrier network and enterprise network. The carrier network group consists primarily of products and solutions for optical-based communications infrastructure for services such as video, data and voice communications. The enterprise network group consists primarily of optical-based communication networks sold to businesses, governments and individuals for their own use.

Our carrier network product portfolio encompasses an array of optical fiber products, including Vascade submarine optical fibers for use in submarine networks; LEAF optical fiber for long-haul, regional and metropolitan networks; SMF-28 ULL fiber for more scalable long-haul and regional networks; SMF-28e+ single-mode optical fiber that provides additional transmission wavelengths in metropolitan and access networks; ClearCurve ultra-bendable single-mode fiber for use in multiple-dwelling units and fiber-to-the-home applications; and Corning® SMF-28® Ultra Fiber, designed for high performance across the range of long-haul, metro, access, fiber-to-the-home network applications, combining the benefits of industry-leading attenuation and improved macrobend performance in one fiber. A portion of our optical fiber is sold directly to end users and third-party cablers globally. Corning’s remaining fiber production is cabled internally and sold to end users as either bulk cable or as part of an integrated optical solution. Corning’s cable products support various outdoor, indoor/outdoor and indoor applications and include a broad range of loose tube, ribbon and drop cable designs with flame-retardant versions available for indoor and indoor/outdoor use including 5G networks.

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In addition to optical fiber and cable, our carrier network product portfolio also includes hardware and equipment products, including cable assemblies, fiber-optic hardware, fiber-optic connectors, optical components and couplers, closures, network interface devices, and other accessories. These products may be sold as individual components or as part of integrated optical connectivity solutions designed for various carrier network applications. Examples of these solutions include our FlexNAP^TM terminal distribution system, which provides pre-connectorized distribution and drop cable assemblies for cost-effectively deploying fiber-to-the-home (“FTTH”) and 5G networks; and the Centrix^TM platform, which provides a high-density fiber management system with industry-leading density and innovative jumper routing that can be deployed in a wide variety of carrier switching centers.

To keep pace with surging demand for mobile bandwidth, Corning has a full complement of operator-grade distributed antenna systems (“DAS”), including the recently developed Optical Network Evolution wireless platform. The ONE™ Wireless Platform (“ONE”) is the first all-optical converged cellular and Wi-Fi® solution built on an all-optical backbone with modular service support. It provides virtually unlimited bandwidth and meets all wireless service needs of large-scale enterprises at a lower cost than the typical DAS solution.

In addition to our optical-based portfolio, Corning’s carrier network portfolio also contains select copper-based products including subscriber demarcation, connection and protection devices, xDSL (different variations of digital subscriber lines) passive solutions and outside plant enclosures. In addition, Corning offers coaxial RF interconnects for the cable television industry as well as microwave applications for GPS, radars, satellites, manned and unmanned military vehicles, wireless applications and telecommunications systems.

Our enterprise network portfolio also includes optical fiber products, including ClearCurve ultra-bendable multimode fiber for private and hyperscale data centers and other enterprise network applications; InfiniCor fibers for local area networks; and more recently ClearCurve VSDN ultra-bendable optical fiber designed to support emerging high-speed interconnects between computers and other consumer electronics devices. The remainder of Corning’s fiber production is cabled internally and sold to end users as either bulk cable or as part of an integrated optical solution. Corning’s cable products include a broad range of tight-buffered, loose tube and ribbon cable designs with flame-retardant versions available for indoor and indoor/outdoor applications that meet local building code requirements.

Corning’s hardware and equipment for enterprise network applications include cable assemblies, fiber-optic hardware, fiber-optic connectors, optical components and couplers, closures and other accessories. These products may be sold as individual components or as part of integrated optical connectivity solutions designed for various network applications, including hyperscale data centers. Examples of enterprise network solutions include the Pretium EDGE platform, which provides high-density pre-connectorized solutions for data center applications, and continues to evolve with recent updates for upgrading to 40/100G applications and port tap modules for network monitoring; the previously mentioned ONE Wireless platform, which spans both carrier and enterprise network applications; and our recently introduced optical connectivity solutions to support customer initiatives.

Our optical fiber manufacturing facilities are in North Carolina, China and India. Cabling operations are in North Carolina, Poland and smaller regional locations. Our manufacturing operations for hardware and equipment products are in Texas, Arizona, Mexico, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Israel, Australia and China.

Patent protection is important to the segment’s operations. The segment has an extensive portfolio of patents relating to its products, technologies and manufacturing processes. The segment licenses certain of its patents to third parties and generates revenue from these licenses, although the royalty income is not currently material to this segment’s operating results. Corning is licensed to use certain patents owned by others, which are considered important to the segment’s operations. Refer to the material under the heading “Patents and Trademarks” for information relating to the Company’s patents and trademarks.

The Optical Communications segment represented 31% of Corning’s segment net sales in 2020.

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Specialty Materials Segment

The Specialty Materials segment manufactures products that provide more than 150 material formulations for glass, glass ceramics, and crystals, as well as precision metrology instruments and software to meet requirements for unique customer needs. Consequently, this segment operates in a wide variety of commercial and industrial markets including materials optimized for mobile consumer electronics, semiconductor equipment optics and consumables, aerospace and defense optics, radiation shielding products, sunglasses, and telecommunications components.

Our highly durable glass, known as Corning® Gorilla® Glass, is a chemically strengthened thin glass designed specifically to function as a cover, or back-enclosure glass, for mobile consumer electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops and smartwatches. Elegant and lightweight, Corning® Gorilla® Glass is durable enough to resist many real-world events that commonly cause wear or scratch damage and glass failure, while providing optical clarity, touch sensitivity, and RF transparency, thus enabling exciting new applications in technology and design. In 2020, Corning unveiled its toughest Gorilla Glass yet, Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus®, which significantly improves both drop and scratch performance, addressing consumer demand for improved durability. Corning® Gorilla® Glass is manufactured in the United States, South Korea and Taiwan.
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‎In 2020, Corning invented the world’s first transparent, color-free glass-ceramic suitable for smartphone applications, which is featured as ‘Ceramic Shield’ on the front cover of the latest iPhone. Apple and Corning partnered to develop and scale the manufacturing of Ceramic Shield, which offers unparalleled durability and toughness.

Corning’s semiconductor optics include high-performance optical materials including Corning® HPFS® Fused Silica and Corning® ULE® Ultra-Low Expansion Glass, optical-based metrology instruments, and custom optical assemblies for applications in the global semiconductor industry. Corning’s semiconductor optics products are manufactured in New York.

Corning also manufactures ultra-flat, ultra-thin glass wafers and substrates for a variety of applications including augmented reality, advanced semiconductor packaging, 3D sensing, and more. These products are manufactured in New York, France, and China.

Other specialty glass products include tinted sunglasses and radiation shielding products that are made in France.

Patent protection is important to the segment’s operations. The segment has a growing portfolio of patents relating to its products, technologies and manufacturing processes. Brand recognition and loyalty, through well-known trademarks, are important to the segment. Refer to the material under the heading “Patents and Trademarks” for information relating to the Company’s patents and trademarks.

The Specialty Materials segment represented 16% of Corning’s segment net sales in 2020.

Environmental Technologies Segment

Corning’s Environmental Technologies segment manufactures ceramic substrates and filter products for emissions control in mobile applications around the world. In the early 1970s, Corning developed an economical, high-performance cellular ceramic substrate that is now the standard for catalytic converters in vehicles worldwide. As global emissions control regulations tighten, Corning has continued to develop more effective and durable ceramic substrate and filter products for gasoline and diesel applications, most recently launching low-mass Corning® FLORA® substrates and Corning® DuraTrap® GC gasoline particulate filters. Corning manufactures substrate and filter products in New York, Virginia, China, Germany and South Africa. Corning sells its ceramic substrate and filter products worldwide to catalyzers and manufacturers of emission control systems who then sell to automotive and diesel vehicle or engine manufacturers. Although most sales are made to the emission control systems manufacturers, the use of Corning substrates and filters is generally required by the specifications of the automotive and diesel vehicle or engine manufacturers.

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Patent protection is important to the segment’s operations. The segment has an extensive portfolio of patents relating to its products, technologies and manufacturing processes. Corning is licensed to use certain patents owned by others, which are also considered important to the segment’s operations. Refer to the material under the heading “Patents and Trademarks” for information relating to the Company’s patents and trademarks.

The Environmental Technologies segment represented 12% of Corning’s segment net sales in 2020.

Life Sciences Segment

As a leading developer, manufacturer and global supplier of laboratory products for over 105 years, Corning’s Life Sciences segment works with researchers and drug manufacturers seeking to drive innovation, increase efficiencies, reduce costs and compress timelines. Using unique expertise in the fields of materials science, polymer surface science, cell culture and cell biology, the segment provides innovative solutions that improve productivity and enable breakthrough research for traditional small molecule, or chemical, drugs, biologics, vaccines, and emerging cell and gene therapies.

Life Sciences products include consumables, such as plastic vessels, liquid handling plastics, specialty surfaces, cell culture media and serum, as well as general labware and equipment. These products are used for drug discovery research and development, compound screening and toxicology testing, advanced cell culture research, genomics applications and mass production of cells for clinical trials and bioproduction.

Corning sells life sciences products under these primary brands: Corning, Falcon, PYREX and Axygen. The products are marketed globally, primarily through distributors, to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract manufacturing organizations, central testing labs, academic institutions, hospitals, government entities, and other facilities. Corning manufactures these products in California, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, China, France, Mexico and Poland.

The Life Sciences segment represented 9% of Corning’s segment net sales in 2020.

All Other

All other segments that do not meet the quantitative threshold for separate reporting have been grouped as “All Other.” This group is comprised of the results of the pharmaceutical technologies business, auto glass, new product lines and development projects, as well as other businesses and certain corporate investments. The Company obtained a controlling interest in Hemlock Semiconductor Group (“HSG”) during the third quarter of 2020 and has consolidated results in “All Other” as of September 9, 2020.

Refer to Note 3 (Investments) and Note 4 (HSG Transactions and Acquisitions) to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on this transaction.

“All Other” represented 4% of Corning’s segment net sales in 2020.

Additional explanation regarding Corning and its five reportable segments, as well as financial information about geographic areas, is presented in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 20 (Reportable Segments) to the consolidated financial statements.

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Competition

Corning competes with many large and varied manufacturers, both domestic and foreign. Some of these competitors are larger than Corning, and some have broader product lines. Corning strives to maintain and improve its market position through technology and product innovation. For the foreseeable future, Corning believes its competitive advantage lies in its commitment to research and development, reliability of supply, product quality and technical specification of its products. There is no assurance that Corning will be able to maintain or improve its market position or competitive advantage.

Display Technologies Segment

Corning is the largest worldwide producer of glass substrates for flat panel display glass. The environment for high-performance display glass substrate products is very competitive and Corning believes it has maintained its competitive advantages by investing in new products, continually improving its proprietary fusion manufacturing process and providing a consistent and reliable supply of high quality products. Our process allows us to deliver glass that is larger, thinner and lighter, with exceptional surface quality and without heavy metals. Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. and Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd. are Corning’s principal competitors in display glass substrates.

Optical Communications Segment

Corning believes it maintains a leadership position in the segment’s principal product groups, which include carrier and enterprise networks. The competitive landscape includes industry consolidation, price pressure and competition for the innovation of new products. These competitive conditions are likely to persist. Corning believes its large-scale manufacturing experience, fiber process, technology leadership and intellectual property provide cost advantages relative to several of its competitors. The primary competitors of the Optical Communications segment are CommScope and Prysmian Group.

Specialty Materials Segment

Corning has deep capabilities in materials science, optical design, shaping, coating, finishing, metrology, and optical system assembly. Our products and capabilities in this segment position the company to meet the needs of a broad array of markets, including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, industrial, commercial, and telecommunications. Schott, Asahi Glass Co. Ltd., Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd. and Heraeus are the main competitors for this segment.

Environmental Technologies Segment

Corning believes it maintains a strong position in the worldwide market for automotive ceramic substrate and filter products, as well as in the heavy-duty and light-duty diesel vehicle markets. The Company believes its competitive advantage in automotive ceramic substrate products for catalytic converters and filter products for particulate emissions in exhaust systems is based on an advantaged product portfolio, collaborative engineering design services, customer service and support, strategic global presence and continued product innovation. Corning’s Environmental Technologies products face principal competition from NGK Insulators, Ltd. and Ibiden Co. Ltd.

Life Sciences Segment

Corning seeks to maintain a competitive advantage by emphasizing product quality, global distribution, supply chain efficiency, a broad product line and superior product attributes. Our principal competitors include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Greiner Group AG, Eppendorf AG, Sarstedt AG and Danaher Corporation. Corning also faces competition from large distributors that have pursued backward integration or introduced private label products.

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Raw Materials

Corning’s manufacturing processes and products require access to uninterrupted power sources, significant quantities of industrial water, certain precious metals and various batch materials. Availability of resources (ores, minerals, polymers, helium and processed chemicals) required in manufacturing operations, appear to be adequate. From time to time, Corning’s suppliers may experience capacity limitations in their own operations or may eliminate certain product lines. Corning believes it has adequate programs to ensure a reliable supply of raw and batch materials as well as precious metals. For many of its materials, Corning has alternate suppliers that would allow operations to continue without interruption in the event of specific materials shortages.

Certain key materials and proprietary equipment used in the manufacturing of products are currently sole-sourced or available only from a limited number of suppliers. To minimize this risk, Corning closely monitors raw materials and equipment with limited availability or sole-sourced suppliers. However, any future difficulty in obtaining sufficient and timely delivery of components and/or raw materials could result in lost sales due to delays or reductions in product shipments, or reductions in Corning’s gross margins.

Patents and Trademarks

Inventions by members of Corning’s research and engineering staff continue to be important to the Company’s growth. Patents have been granted on many of these inventions in the United States and other countries. Some of these patents have been licensed to other manufacturers. Many of our earlier patents have now expired, but Corning continues to seek and obtain patents protecting its innovations. In 2020, Corning was granted about 480 patents in the United States (“U.S.”) and over 1,600 patents in countries outside the U.S.

Each business segment possesses a patent portfolio that provides certain competitive advantages in protecting Corning’s innovations. Corning has historically enforced, and will continue to enforce, its intellectual property rights. At the end of 2020, Corning and its wholly-owned subsidiaries owned about 11,500 unexpired patents in various countries of which about 4,400 were U.S. patents. Between 2021 and 2023, approximately 700, or about 6%, of these worldwide patents will expire, while at the same time Corning intends to seek patents protecting its newer innovations. Worldwide, Corning has about 8,700 patent applications in process, with about 1,950 in process in the U.S. Corning believes that its patent portfolio will continue to provide a competitive advantage in protecting the Company’s innovation, although Corning’s competitors in each of its businesses are actively seeking patent protection as well.

While each of our reportable segments has numerous patents in various countries, no one patent is considered material to any of these segments. Important U.S.-issued patents in our reportable segments include the following:

Display Technologies: patents relating to glass compositions and methods for the use and manufacture of glass substrates for display applications.

Optical Communications: patents relating to (i) multimode and single mode optical fiber products including low-loss optical fiber, large effective area optical fiber, and other high data rate optical fiber, and processes and equipment for manufacturing optical fiber, including methods for making optical fiber preforms and methods for drawing, cooling and winding optical fiber; (ii) optical fiber ribbons and methods for making such ribbon, indoor and outdoor fiber optic cable products and methods for making and installing optical fiber cable; (iii) optical fiber connectors and factory-terminated assemblies, hardware, termination and storage and associated methods of manufacture; and (iv) optical fiber and hybrid fiber-coax wireless communication systems.

Environmental Technologies: patents relating to cellular ceramic honeycomb products, together with ceramic batch and binder system compositions, honeycomb extrusion and firing processes, and honeycomb extrusion dies and equipment for the high-volume, low-cost manufacture of such products.

Specialty Materials: patents relating to protective cover glass materials and coatings, ophthalmic glasses and polarizing dyes, and semiconductor/microlithography optics and blanks, metrology instrumentation and laser/precision optics, glass polarizers, specialty fiber, and refractories.

Life Sciences: patents relating to methods and apparatus for the manufacture and use of scientific laboratory equipment including multiwell plates and cell culture products, as well as equipment and processes for cell and gene therapy research.

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“All Other”: patents relating to development projects, new product lines, and other businesses or investments that do not meet the threshold for separate reporting.

Approximate number of patents granted to our reportable segments are as follows:



	‎Number of ‎patents ‎worldwide	U.S. patents	Important ‎patents expiring ‎between 2021 ‎and 2023
Display Technologies	1,075	152	10
Optical Communications	4,522	2,169	34
Environmental Technologies	1,013	363	7
Specialty Materials	1,943	673	5
Life Sciences	594	190	5

Many of the Company’s patents are used in operations or are licensed for use by others, and Corning is licensed to use patents owned by others. Corning has entered into cross-licensing arrangements with some major competitors, but the scope of such licenses has been limited to specific product areas or technologies.

Corning’s principle trademarks include the following: Axygen, Celcor, ClearCurve, Corning, DuraTrap, Eagle XG, Edge8, Falcon, Gorilla, Guardiant, HPFS, Leaf, PYREX, RocketRibbon, SMF-28e, Steuben, UniCam, Valor and Victus.

Protection of the Environment

Corning has an extensive program to ensure that its facilities comply with state, federal and foreign pollution-control regulations. This program has resulted in capital and operating expenditures each year. To maintain compliance with such regulations, capital expenditures for pollution control in operations were approximately $12.2 million in 2020 and are estimated to be $16.8 million in 2021.

Corning’s 2020 consolidated operating results were charged with approximately $51 million for depreciation, maintenance, waste disposal and other operating expenses associated with pollution control.

Human Capital Management Overview

At Corning, we are proud of the life-changing innovations we bring to the world. Our unparalleled expertise in our core technologies along with deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities require a talent strategy focused on attracting and retaining exceptional people, fostering a culture that enables innovation and collaboration and supporting long and successful careers.

Each of our 50,110 full- and part-time employees in 45 countries make an important contribution, whether in one of our manufacturing or processing facilities, research labs, offices or other facilities.

Values

Corning is guided by an enduring set of Values that defines our relationship with employees, customers, and our communities: Quality, Integrity, Performance, Leadership, Innovation, Independence and the Individual. Our Values are the key to our business success, a source of pride and excitement for our employees, and the factor that ultimately sets us apart from our competitors. In short, we believe that how we do things is as important as what we do. We measure how we live our Values through the annual Corporate Values Survey. We use the results to see what actions can be taken to improve living the Values. Corning employees all contribute to the success of the company by Living our Values-all seven, all the time, all around the world.

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Diversity and Inclusion

We are focused on creating an inclusive and creative environment globally

Our workforce is comprised of 61% men and 39% women, and we have active programs, such as our UP2 (women mentoring women) initiative fostering and supporting women in their careers at Corning. In 2020, we have achieved or maintained 100% pay equity for men and women in our seven largest countries by employee population, comprising approximately 95% of our global workforce. Our 2021 pay equity review is expanding to include our entire salaried workforce across all of the countries where we operate.

We furthered our commitment to diversity and inclusion in 2020 by creating the Office of Racial Equality and Social Unity, to further our goal of a more equitable and inclusive culture at Corning and beyond. The efforts of this office will not only impact policies, practices, communications, and our corporate culture, but are intended to improve diversity and inclusion projects in the communities in which our employees live and work; and

Corning proudly sponsors over thirty different Employee Resource Groups representing vital employee constituencies, including women, African Americans, those with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and veterans, among others.

Talent Management

Each year we formally evaluate the talent implications of our strategic business plans and align our actions and objectives accordingly. As businesses grow organically or through acquisition, we create talent strategy plans to ensure we have the right people with the right skills in place to deliver that growth.

Corning strives to attract and recruit diverse qualified candidates to maintain our culture of innovation and to foster creativity. We have created a strategic talent pipeline through internships, co-ops, rotational leadership programs, and partnerships with various universities. In addition, we collaborate with organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers, The Association of Latino Professionals for America, National Society of Black Engineers, National Association of Black Accountants, Out for Undergrad, and military veterans’ groups to introduce us to qualified diverse candidates.

Businesses conduct climate surveys at least every two years, and ad hoc pulse surveys as needed, to measure engagement, satisfaction and alignment with our Values. It is important to Corning that employees develop, grow and are inspired to continue their careers at the Company over the long-term. We offer rich simulations, assessments, and experiences that are digital, classroom, and a blend of both, targeted to all levels in the organization. We provide on-the-job learning experience, mentoring, and career planning to ensure immediate application and lasting impact. Our salaried talent retention rate of 96%, for 2020, is consistently higher than the markets in which we compete for talent, aligning with our strategy of encouraging and supporting longer-term careers with Corning.

At Corning, the health and safety of our workforce is always of paramount consideration. To achieve this our three organizational expectations are a systematic approach, engaged leadership and an independent culture. Our safety standards always meet, and often exceed, local regulatory standards. We promote employee wellbeing through wellness programs which vary by region such as nutrition, mental health, and fitness related offerings, smoking cessation programs, and smoke free campuses.

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Executive Officers of the Registrant

John P. Bayne, Jr. Senior Vice President & General manager, Mobile Consumer Electronics

Mr. Bayne joined Corning in 1995 as the Fallbrook plant controller, and in 1997 became an international business controller in the Optical Fiber division. From 1999 to 2003 he held a variety of management positions in Photonic Technologies. In 2003 he joined Display Technologies and in 2006, he was named president, Display Technologies, China. In 2009 he became director of strategy, Display Technologies. Beginning in 2012 he was vice president and general manager for High Performance Displays and in 2014 he assumed responsibility for the Advanced Glass Innovations group. In 2015 he was named vice president and general manager of the Gorilla Glass business. He was appointed senior vice president and general manager of Mobile Consumer Electronics in April 2020. Age 54.

Stefan Becker Senior Vice President & Operations Controller

Mr. Becker joined Corning in 2000 through Corning’s acquisition of Siemens Communication Cable Division. From 2001, he held positions as manager, Planning and Analysis and later director of Finance, Corning Cable Systems. He joined the Display Technologies division in 2005 as U.S. Controller. In 2007 he was appointed CFO, Corning Display Technologies Taiwan. In 2009 he was named director of Finance, Corning Display Technologies (“CDT”) and in 2010 was appointed division controller, CDT. Between 2012 and 2015, he served as international division vice president, Finance, Corning Glass Technologies. He was appointed as Corning’s Operations Controller in 2015 and senior vice president in 2019. Age 49.

Michael A. Bell Senior Vice President & General Manager, Optical Communications

Mr. Bell joined Corning in 1991 as a process engineer for the Telecommunications Cable Plant in Hickory, North Carolina. He has held a variety of positions in manufacturing and engineering. He was appointed to CCS Americas Cable Manufacturing Manager in 2004, which expanded to include hardware manufacturing in 2009. In 2012 he was appointed senior vice president and general manager, Optical Connectivity Solutions for Corning Optical Communications. He was appointed senior vice president and general manager, Optical Communications in April 2020. Age 56

James P. Clappin Second Vice Chairman and Strategic Advisor

Mr. Clappin joined Corning in 1980 as a process engineer. He transitioned to GTE Corporation in 1983 and returned to Corning in 1988. He held a variety of manufacturing management roles in the consumer products division, transferring to the display business in 1994. He was appointed as general manager of CDT in 2002, and was president of CDT from 2005 through 2010. He was appointed president, Corning Precision Glass Technologies, in 2010 and president Corning Glass Technologies in 2012. In 2017 he became executive vice president of Corning Glass Technologies. He was appointed as second vice chairman and strategic advisor in April 2020. Age 63.

Martin J. Curran Executive Vice President and Innovation Officer

Mr. Curran joined Corning in 1984 and has held a variety of roles in finance, manufacturing, and marketing. He has served as senior vice president, general manager for Corning Cable Systems Hardware and Equipment Operations in the Americas, responsible for operations in Hickory, North Carolina; Keller, Texas; Reynosa, Mexico; Shanghai, China; and the Dominican Republic. In 2007, he was appointed as senior vice president and general manager of Corning Optical Fiber. Mr. Curran was appointed as executive vice president and innovation officer in August 2012. Age 62.

Jeffrey W. Evenson Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer

Dr. Evenson joined Corning in 2011 as senior vice president and operations chief of staff. In 2015, he was named chief strategy officer. He was appointed executive vice president in 2018. He oversees corporate strategy, corporate communications, and advanced analytics. Prior to joining Corning, Dr. Evenson was a senior vice president with Sanford C. Bernstein, where he served as a senior analyst. Before that, Dr. Evenson was a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he led technology and market assessment for early-stage technologies. Age 55.

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Index

Li Fang President & General Manager, Corning Greater China

Mr. Fang joined Corning International in 1997 as business development manager, China. In 1999 he transferred to the Environmental Products Division and became production manager of CET’s China Plant - Corning (Shanghai) Company Ltd. In July 2004, he was appointed operations manager and in October 2004 he was appointed director of operations and plant manager of Corning (Shanghai) Company Ltd. In 2007, he was appointed vice president, Corning Display Technologies China, and director of commercial operations, government affairs and supply chain. In 2009 he was named president, Corning Display Technologies China. He was appointed president and general manager of Corning Greater China in 2012. Age 58.

Robert P. France Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Mr. France joined Corning in 2000 as a commercial Human Resources manager for Optical Fiber. He moved to Display Technologies in 2004 as the division Human Resources manager. He was Human Resources director for Corning Glass Technologies and Asia from 2004 to 2016. From 2016 to 2018, Mr. France was Human Resources senior vice president for Corning Optical Communications, responsible for leading all aspects of the Human Resources function across several businesses and had HR Generalist responsibility for the Corning China organization. In 2018 he was appointed as vice president, Human Resources and was appointed senior vice president, Human Resources in 2019. Age 55.

Clark S. Kinlin Executive Vice President

Mr. Kinlin joined Corning in 1981 in the Specialty Materials division. From 1985 to 1995 he worked in the Optical Fiber division. In 1995, he joined Corning Consumer Products. In 2000, Mr. Kinlin was named president, Corning International Corporation and, in 2003, he was appointed as general manager for Greater China. From April 2007 to March 2008, he was chief operating officer, Corning Cable Systems, (now Corning Optical Communications) with responsibility for global sales, marketing, and operations. He was named president and chief executive officer of Corning Cable Systems in April 2008. He was appointed executive vice president in 2012. Age 61.

Lawrence D. McRae First Vice Chairman and Corporate Development Officer

Mr. McRae joined Corning in 1985 and has held a broad range of leadership positions in various finance, sales, marketing, and general management across Corning’s businesses. In 1995 he was appointed vice president of Corning Consumer Products Company and president of Revere Ware Corporation. He then moved to Telecommunications Products, where he served as vice president, Global Development, from 1996 to 2000. He was appointed vice president Corporate Development in 2000 and progressed through a series of senior leadership positions. He has led strategy and corporate development since 2010. He was named vice chairman in 2015 and first vice chairman and corporate development officer in April 2020. Age 62.

David L. Morse Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Morse joined Corning in 1976 as a composition scientist in glass research. In 1985, he was named senior research associate, manager of consumer products development in 1987 and director of materials research in 1990. He served in a variety of technology leadership positions in organic materials and telecommunications before joining Corporate Research in 2001. From 2006 to 2012, he served as senior vice president and director, Corporate Research. Dr. Morse was appointed to his current position in 2012. Age 68.

Anne Mullins Senior Vice President & Chief Digital & Information Officer

Ms. Mullins joined Corning as senior vice president & chief digital & information officer in August 2019. In this role, she is responsible for leading the strategic direction of Corning’s global information technology function and evolving the company’s digital footprint. Prior to joining Corning, Ms. Mullins served as chief information officer for Lockheed Martin and previously served as Lockheed Martin’s chief information security officer. Age 58.

Eric S. Musser President & Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Musser joined Corning in 1986 and served in a variety of manufacturing and general management roles in Corning’s Optical Communications businesses. In 2005, he was named vice president and general manager of Optical Fiber. Mr. Musser served as general manager, Corning Greater China from 2007 to 2012 and president of Corning International from 2012 to 2014. In 2014, he was appointed executive vice president, Corning Technologies and International. In April 2020, he was appointed as president & chief operating officer. Age 61.

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Index

Avery H. Nelson III Senior Vice President & General Manager, Automotive

Mr. Nelson joined Corning in 1991 as shift supervisor at the Harrodsburg, Kentucky plant and subsequently served in progressive roles in Corning Display Technologies. In 2007, he joined CET as general manager, Corning (Shanghai) Company Limited. In 2009, he became general manager and regional director of China and India, CET. In 2010 he returned to the U.S. as program director, CET. In 2011, he assumed the role of business director, AAA Corning® Gorilla® Glass, New Business Development. Later that year, he was appointed division vice president, Heavy Duty Diesel (HDD). In 2013, he was appointed division vice president and business director. In 2014, he was appointed vice president and general manager for Environmental Technologies. He was appointed to his current position in April 2020. Age 52.

Edward A. Schlesinger Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller

Mr. Schlesinger joined Corning in 2013 as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Corning Optical Communications. He was elected vice president and corporate controller in September 2015 and principal accounting officer in December 2015. He was named senior vice president in February 2019. Prior to joining Corning, Mr. Schlesinger served as Vice President, Finance and Sector Chief Financial Officer for the Climate Solutions Sector for Ingersoll Rand. Mr. Schlesinger has a financial career that spans more than 20 years garnering extensive expertise in accounting, technical financial management and reporting. Age 53.

Lewis A. Steverson Executive Vice President and Chief Legal & Administrative Officer

Mr. Steverson joined Corning in 2013 as senior vice president and general counsel. In 2018 he was named executive vice president and general counsel. Prior to joining Corning, Mr. Steverson served as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Motorola Solutions, Inc. During his 18 years with Motorola, he held a variety of law leadership roles across the company’s numerous business units. Prior to Motorola, Mr. Steverson was in private practice at the law firm of Arnold & Porter. He was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Legal & Administrative Officer in April 2020. Age 57.

R. Tony Tripeny Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Tripeny joined Corning Cable Systems in 1985 as the corporate accounting manager and became the Keller, Texas facility’s plant controller in 1989. In 1993, he was appointed equipment division controller and, in 1996, corporate controller. Mr. Tripeny was appointed chief financial officer of Corning Cable Systems in July 2000 and, in 2003, he took on the additional role of group controller, Telecommunications. He was appointed division vice president, Operations Controller in August 2004, vice president, corporate controller in October 2005, and senior vice president and principal accounting officer in April 2009. Mr. Tripeny was then appointed as Corning’s senior vice president and chief financial officer in September 2015. He was appointed executive vice president in 2018. Age 61.

Ronald L. Verkleeren Senior Vice President & General Manager, Life Sciences

Mr. Verkleeren joined Corning in 2001 in the Optical Communications segment. He joined the Life Sciences segment in 2004 and has held a variety of progressive roles in that segment. In 2010, he was named division vice president and director of Advanced Life Sciences. In 2012 he was named division vice president and program director for Corning Pharmaceutical Technologies. In 2015, he became vice president and general manager of the Pharmaceutical Technologies division. He was elected as senior vice president & general manager, Life Sciences in April 2020. Age 50.

Wendell P. Weeks Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Weeks joined Corning in 1983 in the finance group. He has held a variety of financial, business development, commercial, and general management roles. He was named vice president and general manager of the Optical Fiber business in 1996 and president of Corning’s Optical Communications division in 2001. He became Corning’s president and chief operation officer in April 2002. Mr. Weeks has been a member of Corning’s Board of Directors since December 2000. He was named chief executive officer in April 2005 and chairman of the board in April 2007. Mr. Weeks is a director of Amazon.com, Inc. Age 61.

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Index

John Z. Zhang Senior Vice President & General Manager, Display

Mr. Zhang joined Corning in 2008 as director, corporate development. In 2009, he was appointed director, corporate development Asia Pacific. In 2010, he further expanded his role to lead the strategy & corporate development organization of Corning International. In 2014, he was named deputy general manager, Corning Display Technologies. In 2015, he was elected as senior vice president and general manager, Corning Display Technologies. Age 48.

Document Availability

A copy of Corning’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is available upon written request to Corporate Secretary, Corning Incorporated, One Riverfront Plaza, Corning, NY 14831. The Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 and other filings are available as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed or furnished to the SEC, and can be accessed electronically free of charge at www.SEC.gov, or through the Investor Relations page on Corning’s website at www.corning.com. The information contained on the Company’s website is not included in, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Other

Additional information in response to Item 1 is found in Note 20 (Reportable Segments) to the consolidated financial statements.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

We operate in rapidly changing economic, political, and technological environments that present numerous risks. Our operations and financial results are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described below, that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, our ability to successfully execute our Strategy & Growth Framework and the trading price of our common stock or debt. The following discussion identifies the most significant factors that may adversely affect our business, operations, financial position or future financial performance. This information should be read in conjunction with our MD&A and the consolidated financial statements and related notes incorporated by reference into this report. The following discussion of risks is not all inclusive but is designed to highlight what we believe are important factors to consider, as these factors could cause our future results to differ from those in our forward-looking statements and from historical trends.

Risks Related to Our Business

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has, and may continue to, adversely impact the global economy and disrupt our operations and supply chains, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

COVID-19 has impacted and may further impact the global economy and could have additional impacts on economic growth, the proper functioning of financial and capital markets, foreign currency exchange rates, and interest rates. The pandemic has resulted in authorities around the world implementing numerous unprecedented measures such as travel restrictions, quarantines, shelter in place orders, and facility shutdowns. These measures have impacted, and may continue to impact our workforce and operations, and those of our customers, contract manufacturers and suppliers, particularly in the event of a

Price	28.95	EPS	1
Shares	899	P/E	26
MCap	26,028	P/FCF	13
Net Debt	6,066	EBIT	1,239
TEV	32,094	TEV/EBIT	26
TTM 2019-12-31, in MM, except price, ratios

10-K	2020-12-31	Filed 2021-02-12
10-Q	2020-09-30	Filed 2020-10-29
10-Q	2020-06-30	Filed 2020-07-30
10-Q	2020-03-31	Filed 2020-05-05
10-K	2019-12-31	Filed 2020-02-18
10-Q	2019-09-30	Filed 2019-10-30
10-Q	2019-06-30	Filed 2019-07-31
10-Q	2019-03-31	Filed 2019-05-03
10-K	2018-12-31	Filed 2019-02-12
10-Q	2018-09-30	Filed 2018-10-24
10-Q	2018-06-30	Filed 2018-07-27
10-Q	2018-03-31	Filed 2018-04-26
10-K	2017-12-31	Filed 2018-02-15
10-Q	2017-09-30	Filed 2017-10-26
10-Q	2017-06-30	Filed 2017-07-26
10-Q	2017-03-31	Filed 2017-04-25
10-K	2016-12-31	Filed 2017-02-06
10-Q	2016-09-30	Filed 2016-10-27
10-Q	2016-06-30	Filed 2016-07-27
10-Q	2016-03-31	Filed 2016-04-29
10-K	2015-12-31	Filed 2016-02-12
10-Q	2015-09-30	Filed 2015-10-27
10-Q	2015-06-30	Filed 2015-07-30
10-Q	2015-03-31	Filed 2015-05-01
10-K	2014-12-31	Filed 2015-02-13
10-Q	2014-09-30	Filed 2014-10-29
10-Q	2014-06-30	Filed 2014-07-31
10-Q	2014-03-31	Filed 2014-04-28
10-K	2013-12-31	Filed 2014-02-10
10-Q	2013-09-30	Filed 2013-10-30
10-Q	2013-06-30	Filed 2013-07-31
10-Q	2013-03-31	Filed 2013-04-26
10-K	2012-12-31	Filed 2013-02-13
10-Q	2012-09-30	Filed 2012-10-25
10-Q	2012-06-30	Filed 2012-07-27
10-Q	2012-03-31	Filed 2012-04-27
10-K	2011-12-31	Filed 2012-02-13
10-Q	2011-09-30	Filed 2011-10-27
10-Q	2011-06-30	Filed 2011-07-29
10-Q	2011-03-31	Filed 2011-04-29
10-K	2010-12-31	Filed 2011-02-10
10-Q	2010-09-30	Filed 2010-11-01
10-Q	2010-06-30	Filed 2010-07-30
10-Q	2010-03-31	Filed 2010-04-30
10-K	2009-12-31	Filed 2010-02-10

8-K	2021-02-03	Officers, Exhibits
8-K	2021-02-03	Amend Bylaw, Exhibits
8-K	2021-01-27	Earnings, Exhibits
8-K	2020-10-27
8-K	2020-07-28
8-K	2020-05-20
8-K	2020-04-30
8-K	2020-04-28
8-K	2020-04-06
8-K	2020-03-26
8-K	2020-01-29
8-K	2019-11-19
8-K	2019-10-29
8-K	2019-08-14
8-K	2019-07-30
8-K	2019-05-02
8-K	2019-04-30
8-K	2019-01-29
8-K	2018-11-06
8-K	2018-10-23
8-K	2018-08-15
8-K	2018-07-25
8-K	2018-07-18
8-K	2018-06-07
8-K	2018-04-26
8-K	2018-04-24
8-K	2018-01-30
8-K	2018-01-30
8-K	2015-09-23
8-K	2015-07-28
8-K	2015-07-21
8-K	2015-05-05
8-K	2015-04-30
8-K	2015-04-29
8-K	2015-04-28
8-K	2015-02-03
8-K	2015-01-27
8-K	2015-01-26

EX-4.5	glw-20201231xex4_5.htm
EX-21	glw-20201231xex21.htm
EX-23	glw-20201231xex23.htm
EX-31.1	glw-20201231xex31_1.htm
EX-31.2	glw-20201231xex31_2.htm
EX-32	glw-20201231xex32.htm

GLW 10K Annual Report

Corning Earnings 2020-12-31