In 2019, W.L. Gore and Associates continues its distinctive approach to managing 9,000 employees around the world, including about 400 in the UK. Turnover at the privately-owned company in 2018 was about $3 billion, from manufacturing sites in the United States, Germany, China, Japan, and the UK, and sales offices in 25 countries.
While working as a scientist at Dupont, Bill Gore became convinced of the potential value of polytetrafluorethylene, commonly known as Teflon, as an insulating material for wire. This led him and his wife Vieve to begin the company in Newark, Delaware in 1958. In 1969, their son, Bob, discovered that PTFE could be stretched to form a strong porous material, which enabled the company to extend its range of electronic products with many new applications, including solutions to environmental pollution. The business is best known for the GORE-TEM brand. GORE-TEX fabric works in a wide range of temperatures, does not age, and is weather durable, porous, and strong.
The business focuses on developing, engineering, and manufacturing products based on PTFE in four areas — electronics, medical, high-performance fabrics, and industrial.