Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc. is an American global company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, that provides instruments, software, services, and consumables for laboratories. Agilent was established in 1999 as a spin-off from Hewlett-Packard. The resulting IPO of Agilent stock was the largest in the history of Silicon Valley at the time.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref> From 1999 to 2014, the company produced optics (LED, laser), semiconductors, EDA software and test and measurement equipment for electronics; that division was spun off to form Keysight.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since then, the company has continued to expand into pharmaceutical, diagnostics & clinical, and academia & government (research) markets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Products and services

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Handheld spectrum analyzer used by the 527th Space Aggressor Squadron.

Agilent serves analytical laboratories and the clinical and routine diagnostics markets with a full suite of technology platforms. These include: automation, bioreagents, FISH probes, gas and liquid chromatography, immunohistochemistry, informatics, mass spectrometry, microarrays, spectroscopy, target enrichment, and vacuum technologies.<ref name="chem.agilent.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

Agilent also provides lab management services, including enterprise asset management, laboratory business intelligence, equipment management and service, software maintenance, regulatory compliance, sample preparation, genomics and cloning, GC and HPLC columns, spectrometry and spectroscopy supplies, and consumables.<ref name="chem.agilent.com"/> The company is known for investing in R&D within its own research labs and those of leading universities to advance the state of knowledge in the life sciences, diagnostics, and chemical analysis space.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In recent years, the company has advanced digital lab instrumentation and technology that improves lab workflow and overall efficiency and productivity. In 2020, Agilent introduced CrossLab Virtual Assist, a mobile app that facilities high-quality remote technical support.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Agilent’s digital advancements, including CrossLab Connect, have also improved lab optimization and sustainability by providing more efficient utilization of instruments, which can lower a lab’s energy consumption.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Agilent is also a pioneer of the target enrichment used as part of a NGS workflow. The portfolio also includes sample prep, QA/QC instrumentation, 2100 bioanalyzers, and automation tools.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In early 2023, the company announced a $725 million expansion of its nucleic acid-based therapeutics manufacturing facility in Frederick, Colorado.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

In 1965, Hewlett-Packard branched out into scientific equipment by acquiring F&M Scientific, maker of gas chromatographs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Agilent Technologies was created in 1999 as a spin-off of several business units of Hewlett-Packard<ref name=":6">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> including test & measurement, optics, instrumentation and chemical analysis, electronic components, and medical equipment product lines.<ref name="agilentrussia">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:NoteTag The split was predicated on the difficulty of growing HP's revenue stream and on the competitive vigor of smaller, more agile competitors.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref> The company's launch slogan was "Innovating the HP Way", which capitalized on the strong HP corporate culture.<ref name=":2" /> The starburst logo was selected to reflect "a burst of insight" (or "spark of insight")<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> and the name "Agilent" aimed to invoke the notion of agility as a trait of the new firm.<ref name=":2" /> The Agilent spin-off was accompanied by an initial public offering which raised $2.1 billion, setting a record at the time.<ref name=":0" />

2000–2009

In the early 2000s, "economic uncertainty" depressed demand for Agilent's products,<ref name=":5">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> including slow sales of health care products to hospitals in the United States, which accounted for 60% of the company's revenue at the time.<ref name=":6" /> The downturn also struck sales in the communications and semiconductor markets, where orders amounting to $500 million were canceled by buyers.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> These poor economic conditions prompted large reductions in force; from a headcount in 1999 of 35,000, which had risen to 48,000 by May 2001,<ref name=":7" /> it had by early 2003 cut 18,500 positions.<ref name=":5" /> In 2001, in midst of this downsizing, Agilent sold its health care and medical products organization to Philips Medical Systems,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> and was noted as having a valuation of about $11 billion.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> HP Medical Products had been the second oldest part of Hewlett-Packard, acquired in the 1950s.Template:Citation needed

In August 2005, Agilent announced the sale of its business which produced semiconductor integrated circuits (known as "chips") for consumer and industrial uses to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Silver Lake Partners for $2.66 billion.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> This move was part of a broad effort to concentrate "on the test-and-measurement business at its historic core," and would entail termination of about 1,300 of the company's 28,000 employees.<ref name=":0" /> The group operated as a private company, Avago Technologies, until August 2009, when it was brought public in an IPO. After purchasing Broadcom Corporation in 2016, Avago changed its name to Broadcom Limited.

Also in August 2005, Agilent sold its 47% stake in the light-emitting diode manufacturer Lumileds to Philips for $1 billion.<ref name=":0" /> Lumileds originally started as Hewlett-Packard's optoelectronics division.

Also in August 2005, Agilent announced a plan to divest its semiconductor test business, composed of both the system-on-chip and memory test market areas.<ref name=":0" /> Agilent listed the new company as Verigy on the Nasdaq in mid-2006.

2010 onwards

In 2009, Agilent announced the closure of a subsection of its Test & Measurement division. The product lines affected included the automated optical inspection, solder paste inspection, and automated Template:Nowrap products [5DX] in 2004. In 2011, the company, along with the University of California, Davis, announced that it would be establishing the "Davis Millimeter Wave Research Center".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Agilent announced it would increase its life sciences engagement through the acquisition of Halo Genomics, based in Uppsala, Sweden, which was involved in next-generation sequencing technology development.<ref name="dddmag2011">Template:Cite press release</ref>

On May 17, 2012, Agilent agreed to buy Dako, a Danish cancer diagnostics company, for $2.2 billion, to expand its presence in the life sciences industry.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On September 19, 2013, Agilent announced its decision to separate into two publicly traded companies: Agilent, a life sciences, diagnostics, and applied markets company, and an electronic measurement company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The life sciences company retained the Agilent name and the electronic measurement company was called Keysight Technologies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On October 14, 2014, the company announced that it is exiting its Nuclear Magnetic Resonance business.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On November 1, the formal separation of Agilent and Keysight Technologies was completed.<ref name=":4" /> Agilent announced it had completed the spin-off of its electronic measurement business, Keysight Technologies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2015, the company announced it would acquire Seahorse Bioscience for $235 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On July 7, 2016, Agilent announced that they had acquired U.K. based Cobalt Light Systems, which develops and manufactures Raman spectroscopy instruments, for £40 million in cash.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December the company acquired Multiplicom N.V.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2018, the company announced it would acquire Luxcel Biosciences, increasing the company's cell analysis portfolio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May, Agilent acquired Lasergen, Inc. after the end of its two-year option on a prior investment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the same month it acquired digital laboratory management company, Genohm,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ultra Scientific, provider of chemical standards and reference materials<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc. (AATI), provider of capillary electrophoresis-based molecules for $250 million in cash.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August the company announced it would acquire glycan reagent producer, ProZyme, Inc.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and South Korean instrument distributor, Young In Scientific Co. Ltd.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September Agilent acquired ACEA Biosciences for $250 million increasing the company's presence in cell analysis technologies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2019, Agilent acquired US-based BioTek Instruments, a designer, manufacturer, and distributor of life science instrumentation, for $1.165 billion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On May 1, 2024, Padraig McDonnell succeeded Mike McMullen as CEO.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Portal

Further reading

Books

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News items

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External links

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