Danaher takes its name from a tributary of the South Fork Flathead River in western Montana. In the early 1980s, this was the setting for the fishing trip where Steven and Mitchell Rales envisioned a new kind of manufacturing company—one dedicated to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. The root “Dana” is an ancient Celtic word meaning “swift flowing,” an apt descriptor for the nimble mindset and rapid flow of innovation that have defined Danaher for decades. Danaher was established in 1984 and initially consisted of a group of discrete, manufacturing businesses. Soon thereafter, it was one of the first companies in North America to adopt kaizen, the Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement. The practice led to the development of the Danaher Business System (DBS) and continues to guide our culture, at the heart of Danaher’s five Core Values. Starting in the mid-1990s, Danaher organized its businesses around strategic platforms with sustainable competitive advantages in sizeable global markets. Over the next decade Danaher established leadership positions in the sectors that define it today, beginning with water in 1998 and followed by product identification (2001), diagnostics (2006) and life sciences (2009). "I see our future as a bright one. We have a terrific team of hard-working, dedicated associates around the world. We have exciting new products coming out every day providing customers with new and innovative solutions to their daily work." Rainer Blair, President and Chief Executive Officer
Video Interview
Danaher Corporate Office 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 800W Washington, DC 20037
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