I can think of one possible exception.   At the outbreak of WWII, the oil refiners were moving from heat cracking to catalysed cracking, which was far, far more efficient.   Won the war, to hear the oil companies' version of history.  The alumina catalyst would go from a supplier like Davison in Baltimore to any refiner who bought it.  Not every day, just when the catalyst had to be refreshed maybe a couple times a year.   In 1940-41, this was a brand new hot (pun intended) technology; a western refinery would have to be tooled up to use catalyst, and be able to unload a covered hopper car.  A tall order, if to be in time for your pre-WWII era theme.