Beckman Coulter Life Sciences

The history of Beckman Coulter is one of innovation, beginning with Dr. Arnold O. Beckman's solution for determining the precise measurement of pH in lemon juice—the acidimeter, or pH meter. From a small operation in the rear of a garage in Pasadena, California, to its recognition today as a world leader in clinical diagnostics and life science research, Beckman Coulter owes its success to three men of vision who revolutionized science and medicine: Arnold O. Beckman, Ph.D, and brothers Wallace and Joseph Coulter.

Beckman Coulter's commitment to innovation dates back to its origin in 1935 when Dr. Beckman sold the first commercial pH meter. Within 25 years, the pH meter and newly introduced DU spectrophotometer and helipot potentiometer found thousands of applications in science, industry and medicine.

A series of acquisitions in the 1950s and 1960s complemented and expanded the business. The 1970s saw tremendous expansion in both products and facilities, with new sites in Europe and the opening of a sales unit in China. Operations in the 1980s and 1990s focused on developing laboratory systems for biological analysis and transforming technology into solutions for clinical labs. In 1996, the acquisition of the Access product line from Sanofi Diagnostics added immunoassay to the company's diagnostics product offering. And, in 1997, the acquisition of Coulter Corporation—founded on Wallace Coulter's discovery of the "Coulter Principle"—added hematology, flow cytometry and hemostasis product lines, giving the company the broadest portfolio of laboratory testing instruments available from one source. The Olympus Diagnostics Systems acquisition in 2009 added ultra-high throughput clinical chemistry systems, extending our product breadth and geographic reach.

For 75 years, the world has turned to us for solutions, and we are proud to say we've solved many of them. Beckman Coulter's focus is to help create the world's most efficient laboratories that improve patient health and reduce the cost of care. For our top competitors, biomedical testing is one business among many; for Beckman Coulter, it is our sole focus. In today's market, we are one of the few participants with full capacity to design, develop, manufacture, sell and service our products.

Beckman Coulter develops, manufactures and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical testing. Our diagnostic systems are found in hospitals and other critical care settings around the world and produce information used by physicians to diagnose disease, make treatment decisions and monitor patients. Scientists use our life science research instruments to study complex biological problems including causes of disease and potential new therapies or drugs.

Hospital laboratories are our core clinical diagnostic customers. Our life science customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, medical schools and research institutions. More than 275,000 Beckman Coulter systems operate in both diagnostics and life sciences laboratories on six continents. For more than 75 years, our products have been making a difference in peoples’ lives by improving the productivity of medical professionals and scientists, supplying critical information for improving patient health and reducing the cost of care.