COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3841

Surgical and Medical Instruments

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

21companies1875–1981founding years21still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedAmerican Safety Razor Company
1875
FoundedKimberly-Clark CorporationFoundedKimberly-Clark Corporation
1880
FoundedMallinckrodt Group Inc.
1882
FoundedBOC Group plc
1886
FoundedDentsply International Inc.
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedSmiths Industries PLC
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedEthicon, Inc.
1921
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedBaxter International Inc.
1931
FoundedBeckman Instruments, Inc.
1934
FoundedSmith & Nephew plc
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedBeckman Coulter, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedHillenbrand Industries, Inc.FoundedMentor Corporation
1969
FoundedHaemonetics Corporation
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedMinntech Corporation
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedEmpi, Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedAllied Healthcare Products, Inc.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
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

American Safety Razor Company →
Active · founded 1875
American Safety Razor Company (ASR) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of brand-name and private-label personal…
Kimberly-Clark Corporation →
Active · founded 1880
With its 1995 merger with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corporation solidified its position as the number two player…
Kimberly-Clark Corporation →
Active · founded 1880
With its 1995 merger with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corporation solidified its position as the number two player…
Mallinckrodt Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1882
Mallinckrodt Group Inc.
BOC Group plc →
Active · founded 1886 · England
BOC Group plc is one of the world's largest producers of industrial gases essential to almost every manufacturing…
Dentsply International Inc. →
Active · founded 1899
Dentsply International Inc.
Puritan-Bennett Corporation →
Active · founded 1913
The Puritan-Bennett Corporation, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with research and manufacturing facilities in…
Smiths Industries PLC →
Active · founded 1914 · England
Smiths Industries PLC is a diversified multinational corporation with core businesses in aerospace electronics; medical…
Ethicon, Inc. →
Active · founded 1921
Ethicon, Inc.
Baxter International Inc. →
Active · founded 1931
Baxter International Inc.
Beckman Instruments, Inc. →
Active · founded 1934
A leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of laboratory instruments, Beckman Instruments, Inc., sells a broad…
Smith & Nephew plc →
Active · founded 1937 · England
Smith & Nephew plc is the fifth-largest health care products supplier in a worldwide market worth £5 billion.
Beckman Coulter, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Beckman Coulter, Inc.
COBE Laboratories, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
COBE Laboratories, Inc.
Hillenbrand Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Hillenbrand Industries, Inc., is the largest manufacturer of caskets and hospital beds in the world, and also supplies…
Mentor Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
A fast-growing company, Mentor Corporation produces breast implants, tissue implants, facial implants, and penile…
Haemonetics Corporation →
Active · founded 1971 · www.haemonetics.com
Haemonetics Corporation is the world leader in automated blood processing, developing and manufacturing equipment that…
Minntech Corporation →
Active · founded 1974
Minntech Corporation, a leading producer and developer of dialysis solutions and sterilization systems, primarily…
Empi, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Empi, Inc., one of the United States' largest medical device companies in rehabilitative therapy, develops, markets,…
Allied Healthcare Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Allied Healthcare Products, Inc.
Maxxim Medical Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Maxxim Medical Inc.
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