Seventy-five years ago, co-founders Marlan and Rosemary Bourns set up shop in their tiny 384 square-foot garage in Altadena, California. Their idea to provide a component solution to accurately determine an aircraft's pitch attitude solved a crucial problem for pilots. Their invention of the first miniature linear motion and vane position potentiometers propelled the Bourns' small start-up into the global corporation it is today. What started from the development of a single product, Bourns, Inc. is now known as a trusted innovator and manufacturer of a wide range of advanced products that are used in thousands of electronics industry applications.
From its earliest days, the founders established a benchmark for quality, value and innovation. In 1952, Marlan Bourns patented the world's first trimming potentiometer, trademarked Trimpot®, which remains the industry standard. Bourns now holds more than 91 patents, and that inventive spirit and dedication to excellence is still strong today. With a culture and processes that ensure continuous improvement and outstanding customer service, the company excels at meeting design requirements and satisfying international standards for a broad variety of applications in the automotive/vehicle, industrial, energy, consumer, computer, telecommunications, instrumentation, audio and low/medium risk* medical markets.