VWR International
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| VWR International | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private company |
| Founded | 1850s |
| Location | West Chester, PA, USA |
| Key people | James W. (Jim) Rogers Chairman |
| Industry | Scientific products distributor |
| Products | Chemicals, protective clothing, research equipment, specialized laboratory furniture |
| Revenue | $3.14 billion (2005) |
| Website | http://www.vwr.com/ |
VWR International is a global leader in the distribution of research laboratory products, with over 1,200,000 items to more than 250,000 customers in North America and Europe. The U.S. division is headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania. VWR ranked #91 in 2006, and #77 in 2005, in Forbes list of largest American private companies.[1] Suppliers include Applied Scientific, Carl Zeiss, Duracell, Kimberly-Clark, Bel-Art Products, and Welch Allyn.[2] VWR primarily serves the government, biotechnology, life science, education, electronics and pharmaceutical sectors.
[edit] History
VWR began business as a distributor of mining equipment in Northern California in the 1850s. The organization was once part of Van Waters and Rogers, which is where the name VWR came from. Through the modern era, the company evolved to focus on the laboratory market.
In September, 1995, VWR completed their purchases of Baxter's Industrial division, creating a much larger company. The capital was primarily obtained from Merck KGaA, a German chemical manufacturer who later purchased VWR and merged them with Merck Eurolab, creating a global laboratory distributor. In 2004, VWR became a limited partnership controlled by investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
[edit] References
- ^ The Largest Private Companies. Forbes (November 9, 2006). Retrieved on November 30, 2006.
- ^ Walker, T. VWR International information. Hoover's. Retrieved on November 30, 2006.
[edit] External links
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