Timeline
1974 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) obtains National Science Foundation funding and starts the School of Architecture Solar Energy Laboratory.
1976 The founding group incorporates as Suntek and applies to the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) for direct funding. As a condition for the contract, Suntek must be located near a National Laboratory. The company chooses Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories and relocates to Corte Madera, CA.
1979 Southwall Technologies Inc. is established in Palo Alto, CA, to commercialize Heat Mirror® transparent insulation.
1980 Heat Mirror® 88 introduced.
1983 Company name is changed to Southwall Technologies, Inc
Heat Mirror® 77 and Heat Mirror® 55 introduced.
1984 Southwall Technologies features in Fortune magazine’s 400 fastest growing companies in the U.S.
1985 Heat Mirror® 66 and Heat Mirror® 44 introduced.
1986 “Heavy Chevy”, the original van that was used to haul the company’s first laboratory equipment from MIT to California, is declared a “Southwall Technologies Historic Vehicle”.
1987 Southwall IPO on NASDAQ June 5 (Symbol: SWTX).
1988 Heat Mirror® 22 and Heat Mirror® 33 introduced.
1989 Heat Mirror® with XUV fading protection is introduced and named “Technology of the Year” by the Association of Industrial Metalizers, Coaters, and Laminators (AIMCAL).
1990 Southwall introduces the double-film, krypton-filled Superglass® System.
Popular Science magazine chooses Superglass® as Best of What’s New (December).
Architecture magazine features Southwall for its innovations in window technology.
1991 Door & Window magazine recognizes Southwall with the Diamond Crystal Industry Achievement Award for its contributions to energy conservation.
Southwall’s contribution energy conservation also featured by ABC-TV, CNN and The National Audubon Society.
Silver Reflector film introduced to increase brightness in new and retrofit Fluorescent light fixtures, reducing commercial building energy consumption.
1992 California Series® laminated glass introduced, combining solar control with high light transmittance and low visible reflectivity.
HeatSeal® foam spacer introduced.
XIR® 75 solar reflective film for laminated automotive glass introduced.
1993 Heat Mirror® TC88 and Heat Mirror® SC75 introduced.
Agreement with Pilkington Flachglas Automotive to develop XIR® film.
1994 Solis® Clear Heat Control film introduced. Solis is a transparent polyester film that is applied directly to windows to block approximately half of the sun’s heat and virtually all of the damaging ultraviolet radiation.
1995 Heat Mirror® film is featured on This Old House television series.
Popular Science magazine chooses Heat Mirror® TC88 as the Best of What’s New (December).
Begin supplying SONY with anti-reflective film coatings for CRT monitors.
1996 Agreement with Saint Gobain Sekurit to develop XIR® Laminated.
Heat Mirror TC 88 featured in McDonald’s restaurant in Bay Point, CA, designed as a model for energy efficiency. Expected to yield a 25% reduction in electricity consumption.
1997 Southwall architectural products featured on American Environmental Review television show.
Audi and Renault are first to commercialize XIR® infrared reflecting film into automotive glass.
1998 Southwall featured on 21st Century Home television show.
Superglass® Quad introduced.
Mercedes Benz S-Class automobile features XIR® films throughout the car.
1999 Popular Science chooses Southwall Heat Mirror® film as one of the 100 Top Inventions of the Millennium.
Southwall products featured on KPIX Channel 5 and KNTV Channel 11 news.
2000 Southwall Europe GmbH established near Dresden, Germany.
Begin XIR® film production for growing European automotive market.
2001 PDX 2.4 film introduced for “Class A” EMI shielding and NIR blocking in plasma display filters.
2002 Silver Reflector film introduced for Notebook PC and LCD monitor backlights.
2003 PDX 1.5 film introduced for “Class B” EMI shielding and NIR blocking in plasma display filters .
2004 Southwall celebrates its 25th anniversary.
2005 PDX 1.0 film introduced for “Class B” EMI shielding and NIR blocking in plasma display filters.
2007 Launched new generation of V-Kool applied window films for architectural applications.
2008 Launched Heat Mirror "S" film for commercial green building projects.
Established high-performance glass manufacturing joint venture in Chicago, Southwall Insulating Glass.
Heat Mirror voted year's Best Green Building Product by readers of ARCHI-TECH magazine.
2009 Southwall supplies Heat Mirror insulating glass for Owens Corning INNOVISION family of fiberglass windows.
Southwall celebrates 30th anniversary.
2010 Heat Mirror film selected as key enabling technology for the Empire State Building energy efficiency retrofit project.
Southwall acquires controlling interest in insulating glass joint venture.
Southwall awarded $1.4M from DOE to develop enabling technology for cost-effective, super-insulating R-10 windows.
