Becton Dickinson
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Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) Template:Nyse is an American company established in 1897, that serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry and the consumer.
According to BD’s 2004 annual report, BD revenues grew 11% to $4.9 billion worldwide by manufacturing and marketing a broad range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products. BD is comprised of three business segments: BD Biosciences and BD Medical (Franklin Lakes, NJ) and BD Diagnostics (Sparks, MD). BD has 25,000 employees in nearly 50 countries around the world.
BD Biosciences focuses on providing tools to help researchers study cells, and the components of cells, to gain a better understanding of normal and disease processes. That critical information is used to aid the discovery and development of new drugs and vaccines and to improve the diagnosis and management of diseases. They market to research and clinical laboratories, hospitals and transplant centers, blood banks and biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies. BD Biosciences posted $723 million revenue in 2004.
With $2.68 billion revenue in 2004, BD is among the world's leading suppliers of medical devices. It has been at the forefront of innovative device development for injection and infusion drug delivery since 1906. They are also the world leader in providing safety-engineered injection, infusion and surgery devices. BD Medical markets to hospitals and clinics, physicians’ offices, consumers and retail pharmacies, public health agencies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare workers.
BD Diagnostics (posted $1.532 billion revenue in 2004) is a leading provider of products for the safe collection (blood drawing) and transport of diagnostic specimens (blood, fluids, cultures), and of instrumentation for rapid, accurate analysis for various microbiology (blood cultures, bacterial identification, antibiotic testing) and infectious disease testing. They market to hospitals, laboratories, medical clinics, reference laboratories, blood banks, healthcare workers, patients, physician offices and industrial microbiology laboratories.
BD's owners have long had an interest in education. Company co-founder Fairleigh S. Dickinson was the major benefactor of Fairleigh Dickinson University, which was founded in Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1942. Henry P. Becton, son of co-founder Maxwell Becton, donated part of the company's original East Rutherford tract for a regional high school built in 1971 that bears his name. The company moved to Franklin Lakes in 1986.