Danaher is established in 1984 by brothers Steven Rales and Mitchell Rales who envision a new kind of company – one dedicated to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. 

In 1988, Danaher develops the Danaher Business System (DBS) which drives growth and efficiency across Danaher and its operating companies and continues as a critical part of Danaher’s success today.

Through a combination of strategic M&A and DBS-driven operational and financial moves, Danaher grows from a small industrial company into a leading global multi-industrial business.

Danaher organizes its businesses around strategic platforms with sustainable competitive advantages in sizeable global markets and begins the journey toward who we are today.

Danaher makes its strategic foray into the high-growth healthcare market with the 2004 acquisition of its first diagnostics business, Radiometer.

Danaher gains a foothold in life sciences with the 2010 acquisition of SCIEX and expands its diagnostics portfolio with the 2011 acquisition of Beckman Coulter Diagnostics.

In a strategic reorganization, Danaher spins off its industrial and dental businesses into Fortive (2016) and Envista (2019), respectively, sharpening its focus on life sciences and diagnostics. 

Acquiring brands such as Pall, Cepheid, and Integrated DNA Technologies, establishes Danaher as a leading player in the bioprocessing, molecular diagnostics and genomic medicine markets.

Complementing its biologic workflow solutions, Danaher acquires Cytiva, gaining highly innovative end-to-end bioprocessing solutions that help enable breakthrough development and production capabilities. 

Further investing in top-caliber scientific talent, Danaher adds a Chief Science Officer to its executive leadership team to guide Danaher’s science and technology strategy and lead the Danaher Innovation Centers.

Danaher’s acquisition of Aldevron expands its life sciences capabilities in the important field of genomic medicine, helping to bring more life-saving therapies to market faster.

Danaher establishes a formal Scientific Advisory Board to support its development of new technologies, guide its scientific priorities, and bring unique perspectives to rapidly emerging trends. 

Danaher joins Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium to speed the development and delivery of breakthrough gene therapies for rare disorders, making the process more efficient and less costly. 

Danaher launches its Beacons initiative, which invests in pioneering academic research, with the goal of developing innovative technologies and applications for human health. 

Danaher hosts industry and academic leaders at its first annual Danaher Summit focused on genomic medicines. 

By housing the collective mRNA capabilities of multiple OpCos, such as Aldevron and Cytiva, under one umbrella, Danaher helps reduce the cost and complexity of drug development. 

Danaher Ventures Pioneer Program’s first company to emerge, Blue Whale Bio, aims to bring cell and gene therapy benefits to patients faster and at lower cost.

With the spinoff of its Environmental & Applied Solutions segment as a new company, Veralto, Danaher completes its transformation to a science and technology leader, marking the moment with a new brand. 

Danaher’s biotechnology businesses support more than 90% of the global production volume of approved monoclonal antibodies in 2023.

Danaher acquires Abcam, a leading provider of proteomic research consumables,
building efforts to help map complex diseases and accelerate the drug discovery process. 

Danaher launches a collaborative research center to develop CRISPR-based gene-editing therapies for hundreds of rare diseases, with a goal of creating a new model for future development of genomic medicines. 

Danaher announces the creation of two new centers of innovation in diagnostics, which aim to speed and streamline the lengthy process of precision medicine development.

Today, Danaher is a leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator with nearly 63,000 associates, $24B in revenue, a 40-year legacy of excellence, and passion to innovate at the speed of life.