Big breakthroughs from a small player—the science of sustained innovation
In an era where tech giants dominate headlines, Reilly Industries, a 100-year-old specialty chemicals firm with just 500 employees, quietly powers breakthroughs in clean energy, medicine, and materials science.
Their secret? Treating innovation as a scalable craft, not a chaotic gamble. As industries wrestle with disruption, Reilly's story reveals how smallness—once seen as a weakness—becomes a superpower for agile R&D.
A century of adapting to market changes while maintaining focus on specialty chemicals and materials science.
500 employees driving breakthroughs that compete with industry giants through agility and focus.
Facing EV manufacturers' demands for safer, longer-range batteries, Reilly aimed to replace flammable liquid electrolytes with solid alternatives—a challenge plagued by material instability and slow conductivity.
Developing solid-state electrolytes that overcome stability and conductivity issues while maintaining safety.
| Phase | Duration | Key Activities | Tools Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material Screening | 3 months | Tested 200+ ceramic/polymer composites | High-throughput AI screening 6 |
| Layer Optimization | 4 months | Engineered anode-electrolyte-cathode interfaces | Atomic layer deposition (ALD) |
| Stress Testing | 6 months | Cycled batteries at -40°C to 85°C | Environmental chambers 3 |
AI shortlisted lithium-lanthanum-zirconate (LLZO) as the core electrolyte after analyzing material databases for ionic conductivity and stability 6 .
Teams applied nanoscale coatings to electrode layers, preventing dendrite formation.
Batteries underwent 5,000+ charge cycles under extreme temperatures—validating real-world viability.
| Parameter | Reilly's Design | Industry Standard | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Density | 420 Wh/kg | 270 Wh/kg | 55% |
| Charge Time (0-80%) | 12 minutes | 30 minutes | 60% faster |
| Cycle Life | >5,000 cycles | 1,200 cycles | 316% longer |
| Operating Temp | -40°C to 85°C | 0°C to 45°C | 2.5x wider |
The design's cold-weather resilience solved a key EV industry pain point. Honda licensed the technology in 2025, projecting 50% smaller batteries in next-gen EVs 3 .
| Tool | Function | Example Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| CRISPR-Cas12a | Gene editing for bio-based materials | Engineering bacteria to digest plastic waste 3 |
| MOF/COF Frameworks | Porous materials for gas capture/storage | Extracting COâ‚‚ from industrial emissions 3 |
| Agentic AI | Autonomous simulation of chemical reactions | Predicting catalyst behavior in novel reactions 6 |
| Low-Code Lab Platforms | Democratizing instrument programming | Technicians building custom testing rigs 6 |
"We don't outspend giants; we outlearn them. Every failure is mapped—why a material cracked or a reaction stalled—into our AI system. That's our real IP."
Reilly Industries exemplifies how targeted agility beats scale. Their playbook—decentralized teams, open partnerships, and sustainability-as-innovation-driver—offers a template for small firms in tech's shadow.
As AI and materials science converge, Reilly's century-old lesson resonates: Innovation isn't about size; it's about speed of learning.
For more on innovation frameworks, explore ISO 56000 standards or HYPE's scalability models 4 6 .