Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter, Inc.
Subsidiary
Industry Biotechnology
Founded Pasadena, California (1935, as National Technical Laboratories)
Founder Arnold O. Beckman
Headquarters Brea, California, United States
Key people

Arnd Kaldowski, President Diagnostics

Jennifer Honeycutt, President Life Sciences
Products Biomek platforms, Synchron/AU analyzers, IRIS Immunochemistry system, VERIS, DxI immunoassay instruments, DxC chemistry instruments, DxH hematology instruments, Hemoccult, CEQ 2000 DNA Analysis System, Flow cytometers
Revenue IncreaseUS$3.66B (FY 2010)[1]
IncreaseUS$405M (FY 2010)[1]
IncreaseUS$231M (FY 2010)[1]
Total assets IncreaseUS$4.88B (FY 2010)[2]
Total equity IncreaseUS$2.13B (FY 2010)[2]
Number of employees
 10,000 (2014) (Worldwide)
Parent Danaher Corporation
Website www.beckmancoulter.com
Beckman Coulter headquarters in Brea
A large laboratory centrifuge from Beckman.

Beckman Coulter Inc., is an American company that makes biomedical laboratory instruments. Founded by Caltech professor Arnold O. Beckman in 1935 as National Technical Laboratories to commercialize a pH meter that he had invented, the company eventually grew to employ over 10,000 people, with $2.4 billion in annual sales by 2004. Its current headquarters are in Brea, California.

History

In the 1940s, Beckman changed the name to Arnold O. Beckman, Inc. to sell oxygen analyzers, the Helipot precision potentiometer, and spectrophotometers. In the 1950s, the company name changed to Beckman Instruments, Inc..

In 1954, Beckman Instruments acquired ultracentrifuge maker Spinco (Specialized Instruments Corp.). The Spinco division went on to design and manufacture a broad range of laboratory centrifuges.[3]

In 1955, Beckman established the seminal Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory as a division of Beckman Instruments to begin commercializing the semiconductor transistor technology invented by Caltech alumnus William Shockley. Because Shockley's aging mother lived in Palo Alto, California, the Shockley Laboratory was established in nearby Mountain View, California, and thus, "Silicon Valley" was born.

In 1961, Beckman acquired Offner Electronics, a company founded by inventor Franklin F. Offner.

In 1982, the company merged into SmithKline to form SmithKline Beckman, with Arnold Beckman as vice chairman, but regained its independence in 1989 after SmithKline merged with Beecham Group to form SmithKline Beecham (now part of GlaxoSmithKline).

In 1995, the company acquired Hybritech, Inc. from Eli Lilly.

In 1996, the company acquired the Sanofi portion of Sanofi Pasteur Diagnostics.

In 1998, the company acquired Coulter Corporation, a company founded by Wallace H. Coulter, the inventor of the Coulter counter. Beckman, thereafter, changed its name to Beckman Coulter.

In 2005, the company acquired Diagnostic Systems Laboratories (DSL) based in Webster, Texas.

In 2006, the company acquired Lumigen and Agencourt Bioscience.

In 2007, the company acquired the Flow Cytometry Business Group of Dako North America, Inc.

In 2009, the company acquired Lab-based Diagnostics business of Olympus Corporation Japan.

In 2009, the company moved its world headquarters from Fullerton, California to the newly renovated facility in Brea, California.[4]

In February 2011, Danaher announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Beckman Coulter.[5]

On June 30, 2011, Danaher finalized the acquisition of Beckman Coulter.[6]

On February 1, 2015, the company finalized the acquisition of MicroScan from Siemens Healthcare[7]

Executive management

Locations

Besides their headquarters in Brea, California, Beckman Coulter also has major locations in

USA:

Germany

Italy

Ireland

Switzerland

Japan

Brazil

Though each location specializes in distinct areas of the company, many projects are worked on by teams in multiple locations working together remotely.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Beckman Coulter (BEC) annual SEC income statement filing via Wikinvest.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Beckman Coulter (BEC) annual SEC balance sheet filing via Wikinvest.
  3. ↑ Arnold Thackray and Minor Myers, Jr. ; foreword by James D. Watson. (2000). Arnold O. Beckman : one hundred years of excellence. Philadelphia, Pa.: Chemical Heritage Foundation. ISBN 978-0-941901-23-9.
  4. ↑ Mueller, Mark (July 5, 2010). "Beckman Puts Former HQ Site up for Sale". Orange County Business Journal 33 (27): 4.
  5. ↑ http://www.danaher.com/news/news_detail.asp?key=399
  6. ↑ http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=82105&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1581181&highlight=
  7. ↑ http://www.emdt.co.uk/daily-buzz/danaher-group-buys-siemens-microbiology-unit

External links