This paper presents three examples of surface and interface characterization of widespread industrial materials : automotive coatings, compact discs, and polymer coatings on polypropylene as used for car bumpers. The surfaces and interfaces of these common materials have distinct, well-defined molecular structures on the nanometer scale. It will be shown that the technical properties of these materials closely depend on the molecular structures of their surfaces and interfaces. Consequently, the control of technical properties requires the characterization and controlled assembly of these nanostructures at their surfaces and interfaces. Models based on quantitative correlations between technical properties and molecular quantities are needed to achieve this goal. The paper describes a simple example of this approach : the practical adhesion of polyurethane coatings on polypropylene can be controlled by the diffusion of a third polymer, an adhesion promoter, across the interface.