Shimadzu
Shimadzu Corporation is a Japanese public KK company, manufacturing precision instruments, measuring instruments and medical equipment, based in Kyoto, Japan. It was established in 1875. The American arm of the company, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, was founded in 1975.
History
Founding and early years
The company was established by Genzo Shimadzu Sr.島津 源蔵 in 1875. X-ray devices, the spectrum camera, the electron microscope, and the gas chromatograph were developed and commercialized in advance of other Japanese companies. The American arm of the company, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, was founded in 1975.Recent developments
In 2002, Koichi Tanaka, a longstanding employee, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a method of mass spectrometric analysis of biological macromolecules.The company also developed, in 2001, an ultra-high speed video camera, HyperVision HPV-1, which is capable of recording at 1,000,000 FPS, while in 2016 it released the HyperVision HPV-X2, a camera that achieves ultra-high-speed continuous recording at 10 million frames per second at Full Pixel Resolution. Other products developed by Shimadzu include head-mounted displays.
Shimadzu is the world's only producer of a "Direct-Conversion" Flat Panel Detector for Cardiac, Angiography and General Radiography examinations.
The company had revenue of ¥264.048 billion yen in FY 2012, with 10,395 employees as of March 31, 2013.
Acquisition history
In 2019, Shimadzu's Medical subsidiary in USA acquired CORE Medical Imaging, Inc. to strengthen Healthcare Business in North America.In 2018, Shimadzu acquired Infraserv Vakuumservice GmbH of Germany in order to strengthen their Turbomolecular Pump Sales and Service Capabilities in Europe.
In 2017, Shimadzu acquired AlsaChim, a specialist for high-quality analytical isotope labeled standards.
In 1989, Shimadzu Corporation acquired Kratos Group Plc. in U.K. to expand in Surface Analysis, MALD-TOF segments.
Global Subsidiaries and Network
Over the years, Shimadzu Corporation has established a strong network of own subsidiaries and local distributors for sales and service support to customers across the globe. Few of them are as in below table.| Region | Subsidiaries | Distributors |
| North America | Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, INC., Shimadzu Medical Systems USA | - |
| Latin America | SHIMADZU DO BRASIL COMERCIO LTDA., SHIMADZU LATIN AMERICA S.A. | - |
| Europe | Shimadzu Europa GmbH | - |
| Middle East and Africa | SHIMADZU MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA FZE, SHIMADZU SOUTH AFRICA LTD. | - |
| Asia Pacific | SHIMADZU PTE. LTD., SHIMADZU PHILIPPINES CORPORATION, SHIMADZU MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., SHIMADZU ANALYTICAL PVT. LTD. | Spinco Biotech Pvt Ltd, Toshvin Analytical Pvt. Ltd., Swan Environment Pvt Ltd., Bara Scientific Co., Ltd, |
| China | Shimadzu CO., LTD. | - |
| Taiwan and Korea | Shimadzu Scientific Instruments CO., LTD., Shimadzu Scientific Korea Corporation | - |
| Oceania | Shimadzu Scientific Instruments PTY. LTD. | - |
Products
Shimadzu’s main products are as below.| Analytical Instruments | Testing and Measuring Instruments | Medical Systems | Industrial Machinery & Equipment | Aircraft Equipment |
| Gas Chromatography, Liquid Chromatography, Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometry, Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometry, Data Management & Software, Mass Spectrometry, Spectroscopy, Total Organic Carbon Analysis, Surface Analysis, Life Science Lab Instruments, Thermal Analysis | Particle Size Analysis, Continuous Monitoring Analysis, Balances, Materials Testing & Inspection, Non-Destructive Testing | Angiography, Fluoroscopy, Mobile C-arm, Mobile X-ray, Fluorescence Imaging, Radiography, | Turbo Molecular Pump, Hydraulic Gear Pumps, Diffraction Gratings | Flight Control System, Electro-Mechanical Actuators, Landing Gear System |