Abstract
Ralph Landau and Harry Rehnberg work together at Oak Ridge, become friends and decide to start a research and development company after the war. Scientific Design Company (SD) is formed in 1946. A third partner, Bob Egbert, also with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT joins SD. A few engineers and chemists are hired and research is started immediately in a small laboratory. Some engineering work is secured to keep the firm going. Information gained from post-war inspection reports on the German chemical industry helps the new firm in accumulating chemical knowhow.
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- 1.
Landau (1994a).
- 2.
Ibid. XVII.
- 3.
The Perkin Medal is an award given annually by the Society of Chemical Industry (American Section) to a scientist residing in America for an “innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development”. It is considered the highest honor given in the U.S. chemical industry.
- 4.
Peter Spitz. Petrochemicals. The rise of an industry John Wiley and Sons. New York, NY. 5.
- 5.
Ibid. p. 317.
- 6.
Smith (1998).
- 7.
Ralph Landau. op.cit. XIX.
- 8.
Landau (1978).
- 9.
Ibid. 16.
- 10.
Ralph Landau (1994b).
References
John Kenly Smith. Patents, Public Policy, and Petrochemical Processes in the Post-World War II Era. Business and Economic History, Vol. Twenty-Seven, No. 2, Winter 1998. 416
Ralph Landau. (1978) Halcon International. An Entrepreneurial Company. Speech to the Newcomen Society. New York 11–12
Ralph Landau. (1994a) Uncaging Animal Spirits. The MIT Press. Cambridge, Mass. XVI
Ralph Landau. (1994b) Uncaging Animal Spirits.XVIII
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Spitz, P.H. (2019). Three Entrepreneurs Join Forces. In: Primed for Success: The Story of Scientific Design Company. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12314-7_4
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