Beckman Coulter Life Sciences
Pioneering Innovations in Scientific Research Instruments

The history of Beckman Coulter is one of consistent innovation. Beginning in 1935 with Dr. Arnold O. Beckman’s solution for determining the precise measurement of pH in lemon juice—the acidimeter, or pH meter, the company has come from being a small operation in the rear of a garage in Pasadena, CA, to its recognition today as a world leader in clinical diagnostics and life science research. “For more than 80 years, the world has turned to us for solutions to challenging problems, and we are proud to say we’ve solved many of them,” says Greg Milosevich, the President of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences.

In 2012 Danaher purchased Beckman Coulter and divided the company into two operating companies, Diagnostics (HQ - Brea, CA) and Life Sciences (HQ – Indianapolis, IN). Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is a leader in scientific research instruments primarily serving the academia and pharma markets. The company also serves the clinical research market as well as applied markets such as agricultural, food and beverage, chemical, among several others. “As a Danaher company, we’ve evolved through acquisitions and in-house development,” adds Milosevich.

The company’s focus is to help create the world’s most efficient laboratories that empower those who seek answers to life’s important scientific and healthcare questions. “In today’s market, we are one of the few participants with full capacity to design, develop, manufacture, sell and service our products,” mentions Milosevich. Beckman Coulter’s broad portfolio of products is designed to advance and optimize laboratory workflows. This includes purpose-built offerings pertaining to flow cytometry, centrifuge, air particle counters, cell counting and analysis, automated liquid handling solutions, and genomic chemistry solutions. “We are committed as a company to deliver products that help our customers, whether they’re focused on research or applied sciences in a clinical setting, to get the information they need, with the quality they expect, to answer their questions,” states Milosevich.

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences sets itself apart by leading clients to exceptional success. For instance, the company’s High Throughput Screening System installed at the University of Luxembourg was published in Nature. The custom integrated system features Biomek FXp and NXp liquid handers, Vi-CELL XR cell viability analyzer, and Echo acoustic liquid handler for compound dispensing and HTS-qPCR.

In today’s market, we are one of the few participants with full capacity to design, develop, manufacture, sell and service our products

The system was integrated with SAMI software and a SCARA Robotic Arm. “With the excellent biosafety features and flexibility of our ultracentrifuges and high performance centrifuges, along with our clinical flow cytometer DxFLEX with advanced sensitivity and intuitive software, we could successfully strike a deal with a University in Japan, which is well known for their infectious diseases research for the coronavirus,” prides Milosevich.

“Customer centric innovation is key to us, because we want to continue to solve customer problems with each product we release to the market. Therefore, customer feedback drives our innovation,” mentions Milosevich. The company listens to customers talk about breakthrough research, such as immunotherapy, and want to meet the clients where they are in the research. The recent COVID-19 pandemic gave the company a platform to show what it can do to meet customer demand within the life sciences industry. “Our customers are the researchers and healthcare professionals on the front line of COVID-19 testing and vaccine development. They turned to suppliers like us in their time of need to support their growing demand for tools and supplies,” says Milosevich. To this end, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences leveraged lean process improvement tools to stretch its capabilities to meet its needs.

As many of Beckman Coulter’s products are used in viral and vaccine research, they take deliberate and thoughtful action to increase the capacity of their offerings to the best of their ability to ultimately meet demands so that the important segments of research could advance during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our clients faced shortages in RNA extraction reagents and pipetting tips, most notably, so we invested in these areas to improve our supply to the market,” mentions Milosevich. The company also invested in bringing genomic products rapidly on the market, targeting the demands of its customers for viral and vaccine research.

Being an intentional company that creates an inclusive, welcoming culture, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences empowers its associates such that they can bring their full authentic selves to work. “We know that by attracting, developing and retaining the best team of diverse, engaged and empowered associates, we help realize life’s potential for our customers, our shareholders and ourselves,” informs Milosevich. The company’s strategic horizon continues to include being at the forefront of innovation, listening to customers, and building and delivering products that meet their needs. “We plan to expand into the rapidly evolving market segment of new antibody and cell-based therapies. There is a lot to come, so stay tuned,” concludes Milosevich.