Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)

Another for the metaphor department.

MORE THAN ONE WHEEL NEEDED FOR THE ROAD AHEAD

Larry Wilson
449 words
14 August 2005
Star-Gazette, Elmira
7
English
(c) Copyright 2005, Star-Gazette, Elmira. All Rights Reserved.

CORNING - Suddenly we find ourselves in the middle of the first decade
of the new millennium. It seems like only yesterday that we were worried
about the Y2K bug bringing the world as we know it to an end.

It's a good time to pause, take a deep breath and ruminate on where
Corning Inc. finds itself.

The question is interesting because the company's economic health and
its capacity to grow and prosper affect nearly every resident of the
Twin Tiers, directly or indirectly.

At this midpoint of the decade, the Twin Tiers' largest employer reminds
me of a young man I saw riding a unicycle along the streets of Ithaca.


It's possible to get from point A to point B on a unicycle. It's
probably even fun to go from here to there on a unicycle. But there are
some uncertainties involved.

One of them is whether you can maintain your balance. Another is how you
deal with a flat tire. A third is how you manage bumps.

Corning Inc. is riding the liquid crystal display glass business much as
the young man was navigating the streets of Ithaca on his unicycle. But
there are potential bumps and potholes out there.

Will the makers of liquid crystal displays cannibalize each other by
building too much capacity? Some voices in Taiwan, a center of the
Asian-based industry, are suggesting that could happen.

Will prices of liquid crystal display televisions fall quickly enough to
boost consumer demand for the trendy, high-tech devices?

The potential flat tire in the computer and television glass business is
the geopolitical situation in Asia. It's still uncertain how far North
Korea will pursue its nuclear ambitions and how hard Taiwan will push
for formal independence from China.

Either one of those situations, if it gets out of hand, could derail the
entire Asian economy with disastrous consequences for Corning Inc.

So far this year, Corning Inc. has done an admirable balancing act
despite riding on only one wheel. Sales and profits are up.

In the wings is a new business - diesel pollution control products -
that could by the end of the decade be as important as liquid crystal
display glass is today.

If it develops as Corning Inc. hopes, the diesel products will help the
company put a second wheel on the ground and greatly improve its overall
stability.

Corning Inc. knows all too well the drawbacks of relying on a single
product. The company is working hard to get off the unicycle and onto a
more stable vehicle before it encounters a giant pothole.


--
JJuggle - Meet the new boss...

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

I hate run on sentences, pizza tastes good.
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