COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 339112

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufactur-ing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

44companies1881–2001founding years44still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedEli Lilly and Company
1881
FoundedCarl-Zeiss-Stiftung
1889
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedDade Behring Holdings Inc.
1904
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedF. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
1919
FoundedTerumo Corporation
1921
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedNOF Corporation
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedAllergan, Inc.
1948
FoundedFuron Company
1955
FoundedSpacelabs Medical, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedUnited States Surgical Corporation
1964
FoundedMedline Industries, Inc.
1966
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedColorado MEDtech, Inc.
1977
FoundedOrthofix International NV
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedPlanar Systems, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAbiomed, Inc.FoundedMerit Medical Systems, Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedALARIS Medical Systems, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedCOBE Cardiovascular, Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Eli Lilly and Company →
Active · founded 1881
Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets ethical drugs (those requiring a doctor's…
Johnson & Johnson →
Active · founded 1887
One of America's most admired companies, Johnson & Johnson (J & J) is one of the largest healthcare firms in the world…
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung →
Active · founded 1889 · Germany
The Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, a 'juridical person' under German civil law, is the sole owner of two industrial enterprises,…
DePuy Inc. →
Active · founded 1895
DePuy Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company since 1998, is a leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of orthopaedic…
Dade Behring Holdings Inc. →
Active · founded 1904
Although little known outside its industry, Dade Behring Holdings Inc.
Becton, Dickinson & Company →
Active · founded 1906
Becton, Dickinson & Company manufactures and markets medical supplies and devices and diagnostic systems for use by…
Fresenius AG →
Active · founded 1912 · Germany
Fresenius AG is a global, diversified manufacturer of health care products and provider of health care services with…
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. →
Active · founded 1919 · Switzerland
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, F.
Braun GmbH →
Active · founded 1921 · Germany
Braun GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of small electric appliances.
Terumo Corporation →
Active · founded 1921 · Japan
Based in Tokyo, Terumo Corporation is Japan's largest manufacturer of medical supplies.
C.R. Bard, Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
C.R.
American Standard Companies Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
American Standard Companies Inc.
NOF Corporation →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
NOF Corporation is Japan's leading oleochemicals group, producing a highly diversified range of products derived from…
Stryker Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Stryker Corporation develops and manufactures specialty surgical and medical products for health care markets around…
Allergan, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Allergan, Inc.
Omron Corporation →
Active · founded 1948 · Japan
Omron Corporation is a world leader in the field of automation.
The Marmon Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
The Marmon Group, Inc., one of the largest privately owned organizations in the United States, is in essence a holding…
Furon Company →
Active · founded 1955
Furon Company is the world's leader in the design and manufacture of specialized polymer components and parts for a…
Medtronic, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Medtronic, Inc.
Spacelabs Medical, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Spacelabs Medical, Inc., wholly owned by OSI Systems, Inc., is a leading global provider of patient monitoring systems…
Tyco International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · Bermuda
Tyco International Ltd.
Datascope Corporation →
Active · founded 1964
Datascope Corporation is a leading maker of medical devices for cardiac patients.
United States Surgical Corporation →
Active · founded 1964
United States Surgical Corporation (USSC) is a leading producer of tools for use in surgery, including staplers,…
A-dec, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Located on the A-dec Technical Park campus in Newberg, Oregon, A-dec, Inc.
Medline Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Based in Mundelein, Illinois, Medline Industries, Inc.
Akorn, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Akorn, Inc.
Colorado MEDtech, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Colorado MEDtech, Inc.
Utah Medical Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Utah Medical Products, Inc.
Boston Scientific Corporation →
Active · founded 1979
Boston Scientific Corporation is a pioneer in providing medical devices for less invasive surgical procedures.
Orthofix International NV →
Active · founded 1979 · Netherlands Antilles
Orthofix International NV is a leading manufacturer of orthopedic and other medical products focused on three primary…
Genzyme Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Genzyme Corporation is a leading biotechnology company that focuses on five business areas: therapeutics, diagnostic…
Planar Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Planar Systems, Inc.
Deltec, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
A subsidiary of the British firm Smiths Group plc, Deltec, Inc.
Kensey Nash Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Kensey Nash Corporation is a medical technology company skilled in developing puncture closure devices for…
Abiomed, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Abiomed, Inc.
Cytyc Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
Cytyc Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative products that focus primarily on women's…
Merit Medical Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Merit Medical Systems, Inc.
STERIS Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
STERIS Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets infection prevention, contamination prevention, microbial…
VISX, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1987
VISX, Incorporated is the leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of laser vision correction systems.
ALARIS Medical Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
ALARIS Medical Systems, Inc.
Heska Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
The Heska Corporation is involved in biotechnical research for the development of vaccines and related diagnostic…
COBE Cardiovascular, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
COBE Cardiovascular, Inc.
Young Innovations, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Young Innovations, Inc., based in Earth City, Missouri, was organized and incorporated in 1995 as the parent company…
VIASYS Healthcare, Inc. →
Active · founded 2001
VIASYS Healthcare, Inc.
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