Industrial Transitions in the Black: US Innovation and Scale-up of Carbon Production, 1864 to 1975

Abstract

This article examines the US carbon black industry from 1864 to 1975, with a focus on innovation and scale-up during World War II. The purpose of the study is to understand the forces behind transitions in the industry’s technologies and business models. The primary research question is what drove the transition to dramatically increased production efficiency and output in the 1940s. I conclude that long-term, firm-based R&D and government sponsored standard-setting provided the scientific and technological foundations for the transition. Through the federal government’s procurement and sponsored construction contracts, the carbon black industry was able to apply its industrial research discoveries to transform its business model to high efficiency production in the context of economic growth and expansion of natural gas pipelines for home heating and cooking in the 1940s.