BD Milestones

The Beginnning — Windows Media™ video
Maxwell W. Becton and Fairleigh S. Dickinson met on a sales trip in 1897. Months later, they decided to go into business together, sealing their partnership with a handshake. They named their medical device import company Becton, Dickinson and Company.

First Sale
On October 8, Becton made what is believed to be the company's first sale — a Luer all-glass syringe that sold for $2.50.

The First Patent
For $40.00, BD acquired a half interest in the patent rights to an all-glass syringe developed by H. Wulfing Luer of Paris, France.

First Logo — Windows Media™ video
The first logo and its relationship to quality.

First Acquisition
Acquiring the Philadelphia Surgical Company enabled BD to manufacture its own metal surgical instruments. This and other early acquisitions expanded the company's offering of quality products and gained the talents and manufacturing expertise of new people.

Incorporated
The company incorporated in the State of New Jersey and created a manufacturing facility in East Rutherford, the first in the U.S. built specifically for producing thermometers, hypodermic needles and syringes.

Made in America — Windows Media™ video
Oscar O. R. Schwidetzky merged his Surgical Supply Import Company with BD, bringing with him the Asepto bulb syringe and helping to develop the American-made BD ACE bandage, a brand name for "All Cotton Elastic."

Modern Stethoscope
Andrew W. "Doc" Fleischer, developer of the mercurial sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure, merged his company with BD, then spent his career developing and refining medical instruments, including the modern stethoscope.

First Insulin Syringe
BD manufactured its first syringe made specifically for insulin injection. This development marked the beginning of the company's history in diabetes care.

BD Yale Luer-Lok Syringe
BD introduced the BD Yale Luer-Lok Syringe, designed and patented by Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Sr. It provided a simple, secure method of attaching and removing the needle to and from the syringe. Today, luer lock connectors are the standard for syringes in the U.S.

Innovative Selling
Hired to stimulate sagging sales, Edward T.T. Williams revolutionized sales techniques and expanded the company's customer base. He later served as Chairman of the Board from 1965 to 1967.

BD Vacutainer System
Joseph Kleiner, hired by BD for his Multifit syringe with interchangeable parts, also brought with him a concept called the Evacutainer — a device to draw blood by vacuum through a needle into a test tube. The product, patented in 1949, evolved to become the BD Vacutainer Blood Collection System.

New Leadership — Windows Media™ video
Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr., President, and Henry P. Becton, Vice President, sons of the founders, took over company leadership. During their 24-year tenure, BD expanded worldwide, made the successful transition to sterile disposable products, and became a public company.

Wesley J. Howe
Wesley J. "Jack" Howe joined BD. He was to play a key role in developing sterility control procedures and refining the process for manufacturing disposable needles and syringes. Howe became Chairman, President and CEO in 1980.

Heading West — Windows Media™ video
Columbus, Nebraska became the first manufacturing site established outside of New Jersey.

First Sterile Disposable Product — Windows Media™ video
BD's first sterile disposable product, a blood collection set, was developed and sold to the American Red Cross. Efforts to secure a niche in the disposables market continued through the '50s and into the early '60s. BD was the only syringe manufacturer of its day to survive the transition from reusable to disposable medical devices.

Canada
BD acquired the Norman S. Wright Company, its Toronto-based Canadian distributor. The formation of BD Canada, Ltd. marked the beginning of BD's international expansion.

Mexico
BD acquired MAPAD, S.A. de C.V., based in Mexico City, to produce syringes, needles, and clinical thermometers for the Mexican market.

Salk Polio Trials
BD produced the first completely disposable syringe, the BD Hypak, made of glass, for use in a large-scale field test of the polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk.

BD Enters the Microbiology Field
The acquisition of the Baltimore Biological Laboratory provided a crucial impetus for BD to lead two fundamental changes in healthcare: the conversion to sterile disposables and the emergence of diagnostic medicine.

France
BD began using AMI of France to manufacture steel tubes for hypodermic needles. Three years later, BD acquired AMI and established BD France, S.A. Twenty years later, BD opened its European headquarters in Meylan.

Brazil
BD entered the Brazilian syringe market and is now the largest medical supply company in the country, with two modern plants and headquarters in São Paulo.

BD Plastipak Syringe
After almost ten years of development and testing, BD introduced its disposable BD Plastipak syringe. BD opened a new manufacturing facility in Canaan, Connecticut, dedicated to production of this new syringe.

A Public Company — Windows Media™ video
To raise the huge amounts of capital required to introduce sterile disposable products, BD became a publicly held corporation, offering its stock at $25 a share. Sales were $54 million and net income $3 million.

FORTUNE 500
For the first time, FORTUNE magazine listed BD as one of the 500 largest American companies.

First Automated Blood Culture System
The BD BACTEC model 225, (produced by Johnston Labs, which was later acquired by BD) was made commercially available.

First Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter
Through licensing arrangements with Stanford University, BD manufactured the first BD FACS fluorescence-activated cell-sorting system, pioneering the company's involvement in flow cytometry for cellular analysis. Today, BD is the market leader in this field.

Research Center
The BD Research Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina was formed to help the company meet FDA requirements, research improved manufacturing and process methods, and serve as a window to future innovative technologies.

BD Hypak Prefilled Syringes
A new patent was issued to Claude Imbert, BD Pharmaceutical Systems - Europe, for a prefilled syringe for injecting heparin, a blood thinner.

Raymond V. Gilmartin
Raymond V. Gilmartin joined the company, bringing his talent for strategic planning. He became Chairman, President and CEO in 1992, departing BD in 1994 to head Merck & Co.

Independence
An unfriendly takeover attempt by a large oil company was successfully thwarted when the courts found that the transaction violated the law. BD continued to maintain its independence on behalf of shareholders and employees.

First Automated System for Mycobacteria Testing
BD introduced the first automated system for mycobacteria testing, the
BD BACTEC 460TB System.

England
A new plant was constructed in Plymouth, England to manufacture BD Vacutainer System products and to serve growing European markets.

$1 Billion in Sales
Sales surpassed the $1 billion milestone. Nine years later, sales exceeded $2 billion.

Move to Franklin Lakes

— Windows Media™ video

BD moved its corporate headquarters from its original facility in East Rutherford, NJ to an award-winning facility in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Vascular Access Devices
BD acquired Deseret Medical to build a leadership position in peripheral vascular access devices on a base of proprietary technology.

Spain
BD purchased Fabersanitas Industrial, a syringe manufacturer in Fraga, Spain.

BD in Asia
Construction began for a new manufacturing facility in Singapore, coming on-line in 1989. In Fukushima, Japan, BD built a new plant to manufacture diagnostic products.

First Safety-Engineered Syringe
BD became the first company to introduce a safety-engineered syringe--the BD Safety-Lok.

Beaver Blade Company
BD acquires the Beaver Blade Company, a renowned manufacturer of high-quality surgical blades.

Belgium
A central distribution center was opened in Temse, Belgium to ship medical products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A second center began shipping diagnostic products in 1994.

BD Vacutainer Safety-Lok Blood Collection Set
BD introduced the BD Vacutainer Safety-Lok Blood Collection Set, offering needlestick protection following blood-drawing procedures.

Clateo Castellini
Clateo Castellini, who joined the company in 1978 and worked overseas for several years, was named Chairman, President and CEO. The company's revenues that year were $2.6 billion with nearly half coming from operations outside the U.S.

China and India
A joint venture was established in China to produce medical products for China and other markets. In India, a subsidiary was formed to manufacture insulin syringes and to market other medical and diagnostic products.

Toward Our Second Century — Windows Media™ video
In 1997, BD celebrated its first 100 years — reflecting on past accomplishments and focusing on new opportunities on the horizon.

Difco Laboratories
BD acquired Difco Laboratories, a manufacturer of media and supplies for industrial microbiology.

New BD Corporate Identity
BD implemented a new worldwide identity, building on its 100-year foundation of quality, reliability and commitment to customers and business partners around the world. With a new corporate identity, BD renewed its promise to simplify the way it does business while improving the health and well-being of all people.

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Edward J. Ludwig Named President
Edward J. Ludwig was named President of BD. In January, 2000 he was also named Chief Executive Officer.
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BD and UNICEF
BD announced a five-year partnership with UNICEF and the US Fund for UNICEF to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus worldwide.
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Healthcare Worker Safety
BD launched the BD Safety Compliance Initiative, a nationwide education program to raise awareness about the risk of accidental needlesticks and to help healthcare institutions comply with federal mandates for safety-engineered devices.
BD Safety Compliance Initiative

Gentest Corporation
BD acquired Gentest Corporation, a leader in drug metabolism and toxicology testing of drugs under development.

Ludwig Named Board Chairman
Edward J. Ludwig named Chairman of the Board of Directors.
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$1 Million for AIDS Vaccine
BD pledged $1 million to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). This public-private partnership will help ensure that promising candidates for a vaccine to prevent AIDS advance rapidly through human testing and that developing countries have the supplies and training needed to conduct their own vaccine trials.

Trusted Partners Campaign
BD embarked upon a global communications campaign highlighting its 100-year history of "helping all people live healthy lives."

BD FACSAria Cell Sorter
BD Biosciences launched the BD FACSAria, the first entirely new instrument in the next-generation portfolio of flow cytometers.

BD Accuspray Nasal Spray System
The BD Accuspray nasal drug delivery system for administering FluMist® influenza virus vaccine live, intranasal became the first FDA-approved nasal spray flu vaccine. (FluMist® is a registered trademark (Medimmune Vaccines, Inc.)

Preventing Medical Errors
BD introduced the new BD.id Patient Identification System, designed to limit the potential for medical errors in specimen collection.