When GoreJs exclusive patent on Gore-Tex ended in 1993, the door was open to competition
and the company had to think of other strategies to face the changing dynamics in the
environment it was operating in.The door was open for competition indeed, but Gore held the precious advantages of
experience and a perception of higher quality and durability. Gore had a well-established
ingredient brand and a leading value share in the market. The resulting revenue stream had
allowed it to build an organization with several strong distinctive capabilities (knowledge,
trade secrets, manufacturing efficiencies, relationships with suppliers). That made it hard for
incumbents to attack its premium positions in the categories served. Consequently,
competition was initially limited to the low performance and price sensitive segments like
General Outerwear.