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 founders chose BD as a trademark for their Company. Over the years the BD name appeared in a wide variety of formats. 100 years later a new logo was adopted as an integral element in the Corporate Identity Program.

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

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 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 and then spent his long career developing and refining the stethoscope and other medical instruments.

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 a needle to and from a 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.

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

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.

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 BD manufacturing site established outside of New Jersey.

First Sterile Disposable Product — Windows Media video
BD's first sterile disposable product was a blood collection set 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.

France
BD acquired a plant in Pont-de-Claix from AMI (Applications Mecaniques Industrielles), a company that manufactured reusable hypodermic needles. Two years later, BD acquired a 75% interest in AMI. In 1958, the Company established BD France, S.A.

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

Baltimore Biological Laboratory (BBL)
The acquisition of the Baltimore Biological Laboratory marked BD’s entry into the diagnostic products business.

Brazil
BD opened its first manufacturing facility in South America in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. The Company opened a second plant in Curitiba in 1983. BD, which also has offices in São Paulo, is now the largest medical supply company in Brazil.

Bard-Parker
BD merged with the Bard-Parker Company, known for its history of innovation in the manufacture of surgical blades and knives. Morgan Parker served as Chairman of the BD Board from 1956 to 1964.

Single-use IV Catheter
BD introduced the BD Intracath™ IV Catheter, the first sterile, disposable, through-the-needle IV catheter designed for single use on the market.

Puerto Rico
BD opened a manufacturing facility in Juncos, Puerto Rico. A plant in Las Piedras was acquired in 1972. Additional facilities came onstream in Cayey in 1982 and in San Lorenzo in 1984. In 2007, BD opened a new facility for BD Biosciences in Cayey.

Disposable Labware
The first major milestone in the history of what is now Discovery Labware, a unit of BD Biosciences, was the acquisition of the Falcon Plastics Company, a pioneer in the manufacture of disposable plastic labware.

The ‘Disposables Revolution’
After almost ten years of development and testing, BD introduced its first disposable BD Plastipak™ Syringe. In 1962, 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 capital required for the introduction of sterile disposable products, BD became a publicly held corporation, offering its stock at $25 per share. Sales were $54 million and net income $3 million.

Ireland
BD opened its first manufacturing facility in Europe in Drogheda, Ireland. A second BD plant was opened in 1969 in Dun Laoghaire. A finance and accounting office was opened in Shannon in 1992.

BDX
BD was listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol: BDX.

New Technologies for Disease Diagnosis
BD acquired Clay-Adams., which was to contribute innovative diagnostic products such as the Accu-Stat™ Blood Chemistry Analyzer, precursor of the QBC™ Hematology System. The acquisition also brought two new members to the BD Board of Directors-- Marvin Asnes, who served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1980 to 1983, and Harry Roth.

Radioimmunodiagnostics
With the acquisition of Schwarz BioResearch, BD entered the field of radioimmunodiagnostics. BD held a preeminent position in the radioimmunoassay field until the late ‘80s, when the Company began moving forward with fluorescence-activated and other types of nonradioactive assays.

Holdrege, Nebraska
BD opened a manufacturing facility in Holdrege Nebraska. It is now the world’s largest manufacturer of insulin syringes for diabetes.

Europe
BD - Europe was established, with headquarters in Grenoble, France. Guided by an ambitious 10-year plan, BD established offices in the Benelux countries (1970); Italy (1971); Germany and Switzerland (1972); Holland and Sweden (1973); followed by manufacturing plants in Germany, Spain (1979 and 1986), the U.K. (1982), Italy and Hungary (2010). In 1982, BD moved its European headquarters to Meylan, France.

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 acquired by BD in 1979) was made commercially available.

Innovative Diagnostic Tools
BD acquired Hynson, Westcott & Dunning, a century-old firm that focused on innovative research products and diagnostic tools.

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

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

Wesley J. “Jack” Howe was named Chief Executive Officer. In 1980, he became Chairman of the Board, President and CEO. He retired in 1988.

BD Hypak™ Prefilled Syringes
A new patent was issued to Claude Imbert, Pharmaceutical Systems - Europe, for a prefilled syringe for injecting heparin, a blood thinner. Today, this product is the worldwide standard for glass prefillable drug delivery systems, combining high-quality design with accurate dosing and easy customization options.

Mountain View, California
BD opened a new facility in Mountain View for the manufacture of its innovative fluorescence-activated cell sorter. This location is now the headquarters of the BD Biosciences business segment.

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.

Automated Blood Culture System
BD acquired Johnston Laboratories, Inc (JLI), the Baltimore-based company that had developed what is now the BD BACTEC Microbial Detection Systems. JLI’s model 225 BACTEC was the first commercial instrument to automatically detect the growth of microorganisms in blood.

Spain
BD opened its first manufacturing facility in Spain. In 1986, the Company purchased Fabersanitas Industrial, a syringe manufacturer in Fraga.

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

United Kingdom
A newly constructed facility in Plymouth, U,K. began manufacturing BD Vacutainer^® System products to serve growing European markets. An expanded Plymouth facility now manufactures medical devices and diagnostic products that are exported to all regions of the world.

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

Sharps Disposal Containers
BD was the first injection-device manufacturer to introduce a full line of plastic sharps disposal containers to address the growing concern about healthcare worker safety.

Vascular Access Devices
To build a leadership position in peripheral vascular access devices on a base of proprietary technology, BD acquired the Deseret Medical Company of Sandy, Utah.

BD in Asia
Construction began for a new manufacturing facility for medical products in Singapore. One year later, BD opened a plant in Fukushima, Japan 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 acquired the Beaver Blade Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, a renowned manufacturer of high-quality surgical blades.

New Manufacturing Facilities
BD opened manufacturing facilities in Durham, North Carolina and Sparks, Maryland.

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

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

Raymond V. Gilmartin
Raymond V. Gilmartin had joined BD in 1976, bringing his talent for strategic planning. He became Chairman, President and CEO in 1992, departing BD in 1994 to head Merck & Co.

New BD Headquarters

— Windows Media video

BD moved its corporate headquarters from the Company’s original location in East Rutherford, New Jersey to an award-winning facility in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

Clateo Castellini
Clateo Castellini, who joined the Company in 1978 and worked overseas for several years, was named Chairman, President and CEO. BD'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.

China
BD opened a manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China.

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 commitment to Helping all people live healthy lives.

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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 entered into a long-term 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 was 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 helps 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.

BD One of 'America's Most Admired Companies'
FORTUNE magazine recognized BD as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" for the first time. BD strengthened its position to third overall in the medical products and equipment industry and received the industry's top ranking for quality of products and services.

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

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BD FACSAria™ Cell Sorter
BD Biosciences launched the BD FACSAria™ Cell Sorter, 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 became the first FDA-approved nasal spray flu vaccine.