Worcester has long been known as a hub where industry meets innovation —and few relationships capture that history more vividly than the ties between Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the company now known as Saint-Gobain.
Those ties date back to the 1880s, when WPI professors Milton Prince Higgins and George Alden—both pioneering engineers and entrepreneurs—helped establish the Norton Emery Wheel Company in Worcester. What began as a small operation grounded in materials science and mechanical ingenuity quickly grew into a global leader in abrasives, grinding technologies, and industrial materials. Norton’s close relationship with WPI sparked decades of collaboration in research, workforce development, and applied engineering.
In 1990, Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s most respected materials companies—and one of the oldest continuously operating companies, at 360 years old—acquired Norton. The partnership between Saint-Gobain and WPI evolved alongside the region’s manufacturing sector and expanded into advanced materials, sustainability science, clean energy technologies, and next-generation workforce training.
“WPI and Saint-Gobain share a deep history rooted in Worcester’s industrial heritage and in our mutual commitment to advancing materials innovation,” Wang said. “Today, that legacy is evolving into a modern collaboration that brings together our strengths in research, talent development, and sustainable manufacturing. We are proud to work alongside Saint-Gobain to prepare the workforce of the future and to help drive technological solutions that benefit our region, our industry partners, and our world.”
Mark Rayfield, president and CEO of Saint-Gobain North America, visited WPI recently to discuss the company’s growing alignment with the university as a preferred research and talent partner. His visit included conversations with students, faculty, and university leaders about how the two institutions can work together to strengthen the workforce pipeline, expand applied research, and accelerate innovation in sustainable manufacturing.
Rayfield encouraged students to embrace ambition—and risk.
“You will find many, many situations throughout your career where you will be challenged,” he said. “I encourage you to have faith in yourself and your abilities—your intellect and your thinking—to take those risks going forward.”
He also spoke candidly about the balance between long-term sustainability goals and near-term business realities. Saint-Gobain is committed to achieving net zero carbon globally by 2050, and Rayfield noted that innovation must be paired with financial and operational pragmatism.
“How do we, as scientists or engineers, truly create business value?” he asked. “There’s that balance between aspirational goals—like carbon neutrality and full circularity—and the day-to-day responsibility of making sure we can operate sustainably and competitively today. You should dream big and push your company forward but always factor in business sense as well.”
Rayfield emphasized that modern manufacturing is vastly different from outdated perceptions.
“Manufacturing is not what you may envision—dirty plants and manual labor,” he said. “It involves AI, Industry 4.0, robotics, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering. Whether you’re making gypsum board or advanced materials, you’re solving problems involving bubble technology, water reduction, heat dynamics, automation, and supply chain. It’s incredibly sophisticated.”
A Pipeline of Talent, Research, and Real-World Solutions
Saint-Gobain’s interest in strengthening ties with WPI is rooted in shared expertise—especially in materials science, sustainability, advanced manufacturing, and engineering design. The company continues to draw heavily from WPI’s talent pipeline, and WPI alumni have played influential roles in Saint-Gobain’s research, production, and leadership.
Todd DiNoia, a WPI alum and Vice President of Innovation and Saint-Gobain North America Research and Development, offered students perspective on the company’s innovation process.
“We do a lot of research similar to what you do in the lab or on the benchtop,” he said. “We then bring it to pilot scale—actually building pilot operations to get to that next level. From pilot scale, we get it to a full process. You have to take it from the lab and move through that entire scaling process.”
That bench-to-pilot-to-production mindset mirrors WPI’s project-based approach to engineering education, where students gain hands-on experience translating ideas into practical, scalable solutions.
As WPI and Saint-Gobain explore new pathways for collaboration—from joint research programs to experiential learning, like internships and Saint-Gobain's Essentials of Manufacturing engineering program, to emerging-technology workforce development—their partnership continues a legacy that began nearly a century and a half ago. What started with two WPI professors helping to launch Norton has grown into a modern alliance aimed at solving global challenges in sustainability, manufacturing, and materials innovation.
