In 1935, engineers, Børge Aagaard Nielsen and Carl Schrøder, founded Radiometer to develop measuring devices for the growing Danish radio industry. A few years later, Radiometer was contacted by the Carlsberg laboratories and asked to develop an analytical device for the detection of the acid-base level in liquids. This soon resulted in the first commercially available pH meter. In 1952, as the polio epidemic swept across Europe, many children were at risk of respiratory failure. The head of laboratory, professor Poul Astrup, and anesthesiologist Bjørn Ibsen discovered the right diagnosis by measuring the pH value in blood using Radiometer's pH meters. This ground-breaking discovery soon formed the basis for Radiometer's entry into medical technology and further innovations within acute care testing. Today Radiometer's devices are present in 16 of the top 20 hospitals in America as identified in the 2016-2017 U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of Best Hospitals. Their products are typically used in blood banks, operating rooms, clinics, general practice offices, intensive care units, neonatal intensive care units and pediatric intensive care units. In 1998 Radiometer acquired Carlsbad, California based SenDx Medical, Inc. SenDx manufactures medical and industrial instruments and blood analysis systems. Later, in 2013, Radiometer acquired Swedish diagnostics company HemoCue AB from Quest Diagnostics. HemoCue develops, produces and markets medical diagnostic products for point-of-care testing like hemoglobin, glucose and others worldwide.
The Danaher Corporation is a US conglomerate headquartered in Washington, D.C. Last year the company landed at #214 on Forbes’ list of largest public companies, boasting 81,000 employees and over $20 billion in revenue. With more than 20 operating companies, Danaher's globally diverse team is united by a common culture and operating system, the Danaher Business System. In July 2016 Danaher completed the spin-off of the Fortive Corporation which comprised its Test & Measurement segment, Industrial Technologies segment and Retail/Commercial Petroleum business. Notable brands such as Fluke, Qualitrol, Tektronix, Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Kollmorgen and Matco Tools were included in the spin-off. Radiometer was acquired by Danaher in 2004. The Danaher businesses are concentrated in the fields of design, manufacturing, and marketing of industrial and consumer products. It operates in 4 segments: Diagnostics, Environmental & Applied Solutions, Dental and Life Sciences. Radiometer is one of 6 companies in the Diagnostics segment. The companies within this segment offer a broad range of analytical instruments, reagents, consumables, software and services used to diagnose diseases and make treatment decisions in histopathology labs, hospitals and other critical care settings. Diagnostics Segment
