By means of a few examples it is shown how scientific research helps to improve industrial processes and products on one hand and where additional scientific input is needed to solve existing problems on the other hand. The Tool-Narayanaswamy model helps to solve problems related to structural relaxation near the glass transition temperature while structural relaxation below the glass transition temperature is not adequately described by this model. Square wave voltammetry and oxygen partial pressure measurement together allows to determine the oxygen fining ability of a glass quantitatively.