About
Keithley was founded in Ohio in 1946, and began by producing products that gained the company recognition for ultra-low-level voltage and current measurement. The Keithley line has grown to include not only DC test instruments, but also pulse measurement and AC test equipment. These products are some of the best on the market today, so it’s no surprise that Nobel Prize winners have depended on Keithley’s instruments: in 2010 the Nobel Prize winners in physics used Keithley instruments, such as a nanovoltmeter, in their research.
Today Keithley is owned by Danaher Corporation. The Danaher Corporation is a global conglomerate founded in 1969. The company is headquartered in Washington D.C. and today employs about 63,000 people. Danaher had a net income of $2.4 billion in 2012 and also achieved sales of $18.3 billion in the same year. Danaher operates on a never-ending cycle of change and improvement which reinforces the company's industry leadership and results in superior all-around performance. Danaher also owns companies such as Fluke, Fluke Networks, Amprobe, and Tektronix. This puts Danaher, and Keithley, at the forefront of the test and measurement industry today.
The Danaher Corporation's business is broken up into five different segments:·
- Test & Measurement: This is the second largest business segment but it is the one Tequipment specializes in. Danaher-owned companies produce some of the best electronic test and measurement instruments in the world for communications and enterprise networks.
- Environmental: Danaher provides products that help protect our water supply and air quality, and aid global petroleum enterprises. These products include water quality analyzers, water disinfection systems, fuel dispensing systems, and remote fuel management systems, all manufactured to ensure environmental compliance.
- Dental: Danaher also provides a broad range of equipment, consumables, and services for dental professionals worldwide.
- Life Sciences & Diagnostics: This is Danaher’s largest business segment. Its products include research and clinical tools for scientists studying complex biological matters, as well as analytical instruments, software and reagents primarily for hospitals.
- Industrial Technologies: Danaher designs and manufactures components and systems that are made to be incorporated into other products by manufacturers. These products are sold to manufacturers for a diverse set of applications.
Markets
Precision Electronics - Keithley instruments are used from the initial production steps through final quality assurance tests for diodes, transistors, resistors, capacitors, sensors, and other electronic components.
Research/Education – Keithley provides scientific solutions that provide accurate, low level measurements for superconductivity, metal, polymer, insulator, and semiconductor research.
Semiconductor – Keithley manufactures systems for monitoring semiconductor wafer processing, including Automated Parametric Test systems, Wafer Level Reliability systems, and I-V/C-V test systems.
Wireless – Keithley supplies tools for testing telecommunications devices, such as cellular phones and digital switch systems used in product design and production.
Current Statistics:
- Revenue (2009): $102.5 million
- Employees: 550
- Products sold throughout 80+ countries