Smiths Medical
Part of Smiths Group. Based in Minnesota, USA
History
1957 Smiths Industries acquired Portland Plastics because of Portland’s expertise in plastic and nylon tubing to support their aerospace and automotive activities.
1967 Changed their name to Portex. During the following decade, the Company went from strength to strength, gaining three Queen’s Awards for Export and another Queen’s Award for Technical Achievement, primarily for the design, development and manufacture of the Profile cuff, used on endotracheal and tracheostomy tubes.
1979 Acquired Concorde Laboratories, manufacturers of blood sampling products.
1984 Acquired Downs Surgical, manufactures of surgical instruments and ostomy products. Awarded another Queen’s Award for Export.
1985 Acquired Eschmann Bros & Walsh Ltd, a company which manufactured operating tables, electro surgical units and also had a range of ostomy products. The Simcare brand is formed from the ostomy products from Downs Surgical and Eschmann Bros & Walsh.
1988 Acquired Avon Medicals, manufacturers of dialysis and blood transfusion products. Disposed of Downs Surgical.
1989 Acquired a German company, Peter von Berg (PVB) which made a range of pressure transducers, stop cocks and cardiac catheters. The following month an American company, Respiratory Support Products Inc. was brought into the fold. This company made a range of temperature probes used in critical care area. The Company also earned their fifth Queen’s Award for Export.
1992 Acquisition of two companies this year: H.G. Wallace Ltd (51%) manufacturers of disposable products for hospitals and a range of invitro-fertilisation products and Intertech, who also made disposable products including respiratory lines and anaesthetic masks.
1993 Acquired the remaining 49% of H.G. Wallace.
1994 Another Queen’s Award for Export this year and two notable acquisitions: Deltec, a US based manufacturer of medication delivery pumps and vascular access devices, and Kylie Kanga, manufacturers of disposable blankets and pads.
1995 Acquired Level 1, a US based company manufacturing temperature management equipment and disposables.
1997 Acquired Graseby Medical. They made a range of hospital medication delivery pumps and apnoeapediatric monitors. Acquired Pneupac® manufacturers of emergency and transport ventilators and anaesthesia machines.
1998 Acquired BCI® for their leading edge technology to monitor respiration, oxygen saturation, expired carbon dioxide, temperature, blood pressure and inspired O2 and ECG.
2001 Acquired Bivona, manufacturers of a range of anaesthesia silicon products to complement Portex® portfolio.
2002 Disposed of the Simcare range of urology products to Mentor Medical Ltd.
2003 Was one of 3 divisions of Smiths Group[1]
2004 Acquired DHD Healthcare. DHD’s products are widely used to care for the respiratory needs of patients in a variety of therapeutic and critical care applications.
2005 Acquisition of Medex Inc. Medex manufactures and markets critical care medical products for use in a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
2020 Supplier of infusion systems to deliver medication for treating chronic conditions; vascular access products which protect healthcare workers and patients from both needle injury and hospital-acquired infection; other products help manage patients' airways before, during and after surgery.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times 25 Sept 2003