John C. Slater
Tennessee Eastern
Inducted 1988
John G. Slater ( – ) was noted for his pioneering efforts in cellulosic plastics and his significant breakthrough in the acceptance of plastics by the automotive industry. His early life was spent in New Bern, NC, where he worked in a family. He attended the University of North Carolina, receiving his B.S. degree in Business Commerce. Following graduation in 1931, he joined Eastman Kodak and was later transferred to Tennessee Eastman in Kingsport, TN, while the country was amid the great economic depression. Soon after, he was assigned the difficult task of introducing Eastman’s new line of plastic materials into the automotive industry.
In 1932, Slater worked with automotive designers, engineers, production staff, plastic molders, and management to gain approval for Tennessee Eastman’s new cellulose acetate thermoplastic materials. This entailed further developing and improving the injection molding process to facilitate the widespread introduction of this novel material. Slater pioneered applications for interior knobs, escutcheons, and numerous interior trim parts. A major application was in steering wheels.
During the 1930s-40, he successfully introduced plastics into eighteen automobiles and several truck lines. He developed innovative marketing and administrative strategies with teams of technical experts concentrating on each major manufacturer. His marketing concepts became a model and were adopted by all major raw material manufacturers dealing with the burgeoning automotive industry. Slater worked with several famous product designers, including Walter Teague, Norman Bel Geddes, George Walker, Larry Wilson, Carl Sundberg, and Mongomery Ferrar, to introduce thermoplastic materials to various other industries.
During his career, he was a member of many industry and community organizations. He was also an active member of the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI, now PLASTICS) until his retirement in 1974. In 1942, Slater became a charter member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). He served as president of the Detroit section and was on the executive committee of three SPE ANTECs.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic materials, Management, and sales