Fisher Scientific

Last updated
Fisher Scientific
IndustryScientific tools and reagents
Founded1902
Defunct2006 (company)
Fatemerged with Thermo Electron
Successor Thermo Fisher Scientific (company)
Headquarters Pittsburgh
Key people
 Paul Montrone, last CEO
David T. Della Panta, last president/COO
Parent Thermo Fisher Scientific [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2]
Website https://www.fishersci.com/us/en/home.html

Fisher Scientific International, Inc. (NYSE: FSH [1] ) was a laboratory supply and biotechnology company that provided products and services to the global scientific research and clinical laboratory markets until its merger with Thermo Electron in 2006, after which it became Thermo Fisher Scientific. The company offered products and services to over 350,000 customers located in approximately 150 countries including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, secondary and higher education institutions, hospitals and medical research institutions, and quality control, process control and research and development laboratories.

Contents

History

1921 photograph of Pittsburgh with Fisher Scientific sign on top of building View from the City County Building (715.215136.CP).png
1921 photograph of Pittsburgh with Fisher Scientific sign on top of building

The company was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1902 by Chester Garfield Fisher (1881–1965), originally called the "Scientific Materials Co.". [2] [3] After obtaining his degree in engineering at Western University of Pennsylvania (now University of Pittsburgh), C.G. Fisher purchased the stockroom of the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory. Fisher became a supplier of lab equipment and reagents for the area's industrial research. Early products included microscopes, burets, pipettes, litmus, balances, colorimeters, dissecting kits, and anatomical models. [3] The first catalog, the 400 page Scientific Materials Co. Catalog of Laboratory Apparatus & Supplies, was published in 1904.

Fisher established an R&D lab at his company in 1915. Edwin Fisher, Chester's brother, developed the Meker-Fisher burner in 1921, an advancement on the design of the Bunsen burner. [2] The company manufactured an electric-combustion furnace and combustion train for analyzing carbon levels in steel, and an electrically heated and thermostatically controlled bacteriological incubator. [3]

In 1925, the company purchased Montreal-based Scientific Supplies, Ltd. [3] The same year, the company was renamed Fisher Scientific. In 1940, Fisher Scientific acquired the New York supply company Eimer & Amend, which was founded in 1851 by Bernard G. Amend. [2]

Aiken Fisher, Chester's oldest son, became president of the company in 1949. In 1955, Fisher established a chemical manufacturing facility in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. In 1957, the company purchased the New York–based medical apparatus supply company E. Machlett & Sons. [3] In 1959 the company opened an instrument and supplies facility in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Fisher brand caliper. Fisher Scientific Caliper.JPG
Fisher brand caliper.

Chester Fisher died in 1965 at age 84. His sons maintained leadership of the company, with Aiken becoming Chairman and Benjamin becoming president. The youngest son, James Fisher, had the title Senior Vice President. [2]

Fisher Scientific Company issued its first public stock in 1965, and that year the company had $58 million in sales and close to a million customer transactions. In 1968 Fisher shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange. [2]

In 1965 the company introduced the Differential Thermalyzer, a differential thermal analysis instrument. [3] It acquired Pfeiffer Glass, Inc. in 1966, a manufacturer of high accuracy volumetric pipettes. The company released the Photometric Titralyzer that year, and a Hem-alyzer in 1968. In 1968, it purchased Massachusetts-based Jarrell-Ash Company, a producer of optical instrumentation, particularly for emission and atomic absorption spectroscopy. It acquired Chicago-based Stansi Scientific Company in 1967, expanding into educational science supplies. In 1976, Fisher Scientific established an Instrument Service Division. [3]

Fisher was acquired by Morristown, New Jersey–based Allied Corporation in 1981 for $330 million. [4] At this time Benjamin R. Fisher was Chairman of the company, having gained the position in 1975 upon Aiken's retirement. Operating as a subsidiary of Allied Corporation (and later AlliedSignal Inc., and The Henley Group), Fisher established a Biotechnology Division in 1985. [3]

In 1991, The Henley Group sold a majority interest in Fisher through a public stock offering. The public entity was called Fisher Scientific International Inc., and based in Hampton, New Hampshire. Fisher Scientific Company remained in Pittsburgh as an operating subsidiary. In 1992, Fisher facilities were ISO-9000 certified. [3]

In the 1990s, Fisher, with partner Intertech Corporation of Atkinson, New Hampshire, set up a pharmaceutical testing and certification lab in Moscow, Russia, to serve with the Russian Federation's Ministry of Health and Medical Industry needs. Fisher acquired Eastman Kodak Company's organic-chemicals business and Janssen Chimica, forming Acros Organics. [3]

In August 2004, the company merged with Apogent Technologies Inc., a company engaged primarily in the manufacture and sale of laboratory products in the United States and other countries.[ citation needed ]

In May 2006, Fisher Scientific and Thermo Electron announced that they would merge in a tax-free, stock-for-stock exchange. The merger closed on November 9, 2006, and the merged company is now called Thermo Fisher Scientific. The merger was valued at $12.8 billion. [5]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Lower, Josh (2005). "Fisher Scientific International Inc." Hoover's Online . Retrieved 4 July 2005.
  2. ↑ 2004 Annual Report (Form 10-K). Retrieved 4 July 2005.

Related Research Articles

Affymetrix is now Applied Biosystems, a brand of DNA microarray products sold by Thermo Fisher Scientific that originated with an American biotechnology research and development and manufacturing company of the same name. The Santa Clara, California-based Affymetrix, Inc. now a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific was co-founded by Alex Zaffaroni and Stephen Fodor. Stephen Fodor and his group, based on their earlier development of methods to fabricate DNA microarrays using semiconductor manufacturing techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labcorp Drug Development</span> Contract research organization

Labcorp Drug Development presently known as Fortrea is a contract research organization headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina, providing nonclinical, preclinical, clinical and commercialization services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Formerly called Covance, the company is a spin-off from Labcorp, which employs more than 70,000 people worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermo Electron</span> Former company for analytical instruments and services

Thermo Electron Corporation was a major provider of analytical instruments and services for a variety of domains. It was co-founded in 1956 by George N. Hatsopoulos, an MIT PhD in mechanical engineering, and Peter M. Nomikos, a Harvard Business School graduate, who provided initial funding.

Invitrogen is one of several brands under the Thermo Fisher Scientific corporation. The product line includes various subbrands of biotechnology products, such as machines and consumables for polymerase chain reaction, reverse transcription, cloning, culturing, stem cell production, cell therapy, regenerative medicine, immunotherapy, transfection, DNA/RNA purification, diagnostic tests, antibodies, and immunoassays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles River Laboratories</span> American biotechnology and pharmaceutical corporation

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., is an American pharmaceutical company specializing in a variety of preclinical and clinical laboratory, gene therapy and cell therapy services for the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries. It also supplies assorted biomedical products, outsourcing services, and animals for research and development in the pharmaceutical industry and offers support in the fields of basic research, drug discovery, safety and efficacy, clinical support, and manufacturing.

Sigma-Aldrich is an American chemical, life science, and biotechnology company owned by the multinational chemical conglomerate Merck Group

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VWR International</span> U.S. chemicals company

VWR International is an American company involved 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 Radnor, Pennsylvania. VWR ranked #91 in 2006, and #77 in 2005, in Forbes list of largest American private companies. Suppliers include Applied Scientific, 3B Scientific Duracell, Kimberly-Clark, Bel-Art Products, and Welch Allyn. VWR primarily serves the government, biotechnology, life science, education, electronics and pharmaceutical sectors. In 2010, the company maintained operations in 25 countries and processed approximately 50,000 order lines daily from a logistical network, which includes 25 strategically located distribution centers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectronic 20</span> Single beam spectrophotometer

The Spectronic 20 is a brand of single-beam spectrophotometer, designed to operate in the visible spectrum across a wavelength range of 340 nm to 950 nm, with a spectral bandpass of 20 nm. It is designed for quantitative absorption measurement at single wavelengths. Because it measures the transmittance or absorption of visible light through a solution, it is sometimes referred to as a colorimeter. The name of the instrument is a trademark of the manufacturer.

Eppendorf, a company with its registered office in Germany, develops, produces and sells products and services for laboratories around the world.

IQVIA, formerly Quintiles and IMS Health, Inc., is an American Fortune 500 and S&P 500 multinational company serving the combined industries of health information technology and clinical research. IQVIA is a provider of biopharmaceutical development, professional consulting and commercial outsourcing services, focused primarily on Phase I-IV clinical trials and associated laboratory and analytical services, including investment strategy and management consulting services. It has a network of more than 88,000 employees in more than 100 countries and a market capitalization of US$49 billion as of August 2021. As of 2023, IQVIA was reported to be one of the world's largest contract research organizations (CRO).

Lancaster Laboratories Inc., is one of the largest contract laboratories in the United States. They specialize in pharmaceutical and environmental analytical services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermo Fisher Scientific</span> Provisioner of scientific consumables, equipment, and services

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is an American-headquartered life science and clinical research company. It is a global supplier of analytical instruments, clinical development solutions, specialty diagnostics, laboratory, pharmaceutical and biotechnology services. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Fisher was formed through the merger of Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific in 2006. Thermo Fisher Scientific has acquired other reagent, consumable, instrumentation, and service providers, including Life Technologies Corporation (2013), Alfa Aesar (2015), Affymetrix (2016), FEI Company (2016), BD Advanced Bioprocessing (2018), and PPD (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FEI Company</span> American microscope technology company

FEI Company was an American company that designed, manufactured, and supported microscope technology. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon, FEI had over 2,800 employees and sales and service operations in more than 50 countries around the world. Formerly listed on the NASDAQ, it is now a subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Applied Biosystems is one of various brands under the Life Technologies brand of Thermo Fisher Scientific corporation. The brand is focused on integrated systems for genetic analysis, which include computerized machines and the consumables used within them.

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, more commonly known as Labcorp, is an American healthcare company headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina. It operates one of the largest clinical laboratory networks in the world, with a United States network of 36 primary laboratories. Before a merger with National Health Laboratory in 1995, the company operated under the name Roche BioMedical. Labcorp performs its largest volume of specialty testing at its Center for Esoteric Testing in Burlington, North Carolina, where the company is headquartered. As of 2018, Labcorp processes 2.5 million lab tests weekly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patheon</span>

Patheon is a service brand within Thermo Fisher Scientific's brand portfolio. Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services offered under the Patheon brand include small molecule API, biologics, viral vectors, cGMP plasmids, formulation, clinical trials solutions, logistics and commercial manufacturing and packaging. In 2017, Patheon was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific to form its Pharma Services business.

Alfa Aesar was a supplier of reagents and materials for use in research and development, and analysis. The company had facilities in a variety of countries and manufactured many of the chemicals they sold. The company was bought by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2015, having previously existed as part of the Johnson Matthey Fine Chemicals & Catalysts Division. In 2021, Alfa Aesar products were rebranded under the Thermo Scientific brand name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSS World Medical</span> Distributor of medical products

PSS World Medical, Inc. was an American distributor of medical products, equipment, billing services and pharmaceutical related products to non-hospital healthcare providers. In 2008, the company celebrated its 25th year in business and was named to Forbes 400 Best Big Companies list for the second time. In 2013, the company was purchased by the McKesson Corporation and dissolved. The organization also ranked number 965 on the 2008 Fortune 1000 list of largest businesses, up from 980 the prior year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PPD, Inc.</span> Global contract research organization

Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) is a global contract research organization (CRO) providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and lifecycle management services. In December 2021, PPD became a wholly owned subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Pierce Biotechnology Inc. is the ultimate origin of a number of products and product lines in the Thermo Fisher Scientific research and development division, "Thermo Scientific Pierce Protein Biology." The company from which this division originated, the Rockford, Illinois-based Pierce Chemical Company (PCC) was founded in 1948 when Alan Pierce assumed active management of a company known as Midwest Extraction, which focused on isolating chlorophyll from alfalfa.

References

  1. ↑ "Nasdaq: Fisher Scientific International Inc". Nasdaq. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Fisher Scientific". Hampton, NH library. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 Apr 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Fisher Scientific International Inc. History". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 27 Apr 2014.
  4. ↑ "ALLIED SET TO BUY FISHER SCIENTIFIC". The New York Times . 31 Jul 1981. Retrieved 27 Apr 2014.
  5. ↑ "Thermo Fisher to buy Life Tech for $13.6 billion". Reuters. 15 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.