Bourns Timeline
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Bourns Laboratories Founded by Marlan and Rosemary Bourns in Their Altadena, CA Garage
Included Linear Motion Potentiometers and Angle of Attack (Vane) Potentiometers
Bourdon Tube and Accelerometer Transducers Developed and Sold to Aerospace Companies
Published first product catalog.
Company Moves from Altadena Garage to Storefront in Pasadena, CA
Gordon Bourns born in Pasadena, CA
Company relocated to 6135 Magnolia Ave. in Riverside, CA with financial assistance from Riverside Chamber of Commerce.
Linda Bourns born in Pasadena, CA.
Developed Additional Models of Linear Motion, Pressure and Accelerometer Transducers
Marlan Bourns invents and develops the Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometer, introduced at ISA show in Cleveland, OH.
Company incorporated as Bourns Position Instruments, Inc.
First employee newsletter published.
Trimpot Variable Resistor Trimming Potentiometer Patent Filed
Initial organization of the TRIMTONES big band ensemble.
Marlan Bourns Announced Cash Profit Sharing Plan
Company continued to expand with 158 employees at year end.
Annual sales exceeded $1,000,000.
TRIMTONES Reorganized and Expanded
Anita Bourns born in Riverside, CA.
Ames, Iowa Plant Opened
Marlan Bourns introduced Company goals: Quality, Delivery, and Price. Marlan Bourns announced deferred profit sharing plan.
The patent for the Trimpot Variable Resistor Issued
Initial public stock offering was filed.
Opened East Coast sales office in New York City area.
The Ames, IA plant expanded to over 150 employees.
Denise Bourns born in Riverside, CA.
Marlan Bourns elected to membership in the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO)
Construction started on new building adjacent to existing 6135 Magnolia Ave. building. Initial sale of 120,000 shares of capital stock completed and Bourns, Inc. began trading over the counter.
Company purchased 45-acre site on Columbia Ave. at Iowa Ave. in Riverside for a future plant.
A plant in Toronto, Canada opened to produce Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometers for the Canadian government.
Annual sales exceeded $10,000,000.
Bourns Named “Growth Company of the Year” by National Association of Investment Clubs
Construction of the 1200 Columbia Ave. building initiated and substantially completed.
Net profit exceeded $1,000,000
Bourns AG European Headquarters Established in Zug, Switzerland
Formal opening of the corporate offices and Trimpot Division facility on Columbia Ave. in Riverside, CA.
Annual sales exceeded $21,000,000.
Bourns’ New Columbia Ave. Plant Received Factory Magazine‘s “Top 10 New Plants” Award
Introduced the KNOBPOT™ Potentiometer, the Miniature Relay and Linear Variable Differential Transformer products.
Bourns (Trimpot) Ltd. Sales Office Opened in London and Bourns Nederland NV Sales Office Opened in Voorburg
Acquired Chicago Aerial Industries (Recon/Optical, Inc.)
Bourns Puerto Rico, Inc. was established in Cidra
Completed new 75,000 sq. ft. plant in Ames, IA as a second location to manufacture Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometers
Bourns’ Stock Listed on New York and Pacific Stock Exchanges with Symbol “BOU”
Bourns was given the “GOLD SHOVEL” award by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce for outstanding contributions to the economic growth of Southern California.
The Bourns Employees Federal Credit Union was chartered and began operations.
Bourns Life Systems infant respirator manufacturing begins at Ames, IA plant.
Formation of Murata-Bourns Y.K. joint venture for manufacture of Trimpot® trimming potentiometers in Kyoto, Japan.
Life Systems Introduced the Infant Respirator to the U.S. and European Hospital Markets
Established Sales Subsidiary in Stuttgart, Germany
Acquired Euphonics Industries & Euphonics Corp. both producing ultrasonic detection equipment.
Linear Motion Potentiometers were used in the Lunar Module Landing Control and in the Pressure Transducers that regulated astronauts’ oxygen as they walked on the moon.
Bourns de Mexico Manufacturing Plant Opened in Tijuana, Mexico
Expanded in microelectronics by formation of Precision Monolithics, Inc. in Santa Clara, CA.
Life Systems Group relocated to Riverside, CA.
Bourns Caribe, Inc. was established in Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Panel Controls & Precision Potentiometers Product Lines Introduced
Acquired Ohmic, Inc. a French resistor company.
Acquired Saber Management Systems, a company engaged in data acquisition and processing.
Acquired Medaids, Inc. cardio-pulmonary instruments.
Acquired R.C.L. Electronics, Inc. manufacturer of precision resistors, power resistors, networks and delay lines.
Marlan Bourns co-founded the World Presidents’ Organization.
Bourns Purchased Majority of Stock of Precision Monolithics, Inc. (PMI), a Semiconductor Company. Ground breaking for new PMI building in Santa Clara, CA.
Management Systems Division completed the development and installation of a sophisticated telecommunications data collection system for a major U.S. telephone company.
Bourns, Inc. annual sales exceeded $100,000,000.
New product introductions included SIP resistor networks, solid state differential pressure transducer, an improved infant respirator, the Bourns® Electronic Adult Respirator (BEAR1) and two spirometer models, companding digital-to-analog converter and new low-cost, high-volume trimming potentiometer.
Bourns plant established in El Salvador.
Company Repurchased Stock and Went Private
Ceramics operation moved from Riverside, CA to Logan, Utah.
Precision/Control Products Plant Opens in Ogden, Utah
Bourns AG moved from Zug to Baar, Switzerland.
Sold the Life Systems Division to the Thomas Tillings Corporation; the new company became known as Bear Medical Systems, Inc.
Bourns Electronics, Ltd. Trimmer Plant Opened in Cork, Ireland
Precisions & Controls Plant Opened in Tijuana, Mexico
Trimpot Electronics, S.A. Plant Opened in Heredia, Costa Rica
The Trimmer Primer Handbook was published.
Networks Division Plant Completed and Operational in Logan, Utah
IC Packaging Division formed.
“Watch Your P’s & Q’s” cost reduction program initiated.
Industrial Division Opened New Facility on Chicago Ave. in Riverside, CA
Trimmer Primer II Handbook published.
Precision & Controls Division expanded in Ogden, Utah.
A series of courses for developing capabilities in technical, managerial and communications areas
Surface Mount Trimmers and Resistor Networks Introduced
Trimmer Primer III Handbook and PMI Linear Primer Handbook published.
PMI’s Design Technology Center opened in Anaheim, CA.
Taipei, Taiwan Manufacturing Facility Began Operations
Recon/Optical, Inc. completed new Systems and Research Center in Barrington, IL.
The Trimmer Primer IV Handbook published.
Bourns’ IC Packages Division sold to DuPont Co. in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Bourns family donated 246 acres towards the creation of Sycamore Canyon Regional Park.
Bourns, Inc. Named “Riverside Business of the Year” by the Riverside Chamber of Commerce
Bourns, Inc. celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a dinner on Marlan & Rosemary’s 40th Wedding Anniversary.
Hong Kong sales office opened.
Initiated Company-Wide Road to Perfection Philosophy
Expanded sales offices in Asia Pacific.
Formalized Bourns Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
Sensors & Controls Division Introduced Line of Automotive Steering Sensors
Bourns sold Magnetics Product line to Datatronics, Ltd.
Completed Construction of Columbia East Instruments Building
Sold Precision Monolithics subsidiary to Analog Devices, Inc.
Altadena garage replica dedicated at Riverside Headquarters.
Recon Optical, Inc. Cameras Imaged Over 4,000,000 U.S. Reconnaissance Photos During Desert Storm
Tokyo, Japan Sales Office Opened
Bourns Earned Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Xiamen, China Manufacturing Facility Began Operations
The University of California, Riverside dedicated the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering and Bourns Hall. The Bourns Foundation gave the UCR College of Engineering a gift of $6 million in unrestricted funds.
Bourns acquired Mepcopal’s Trimmer assets.
Multifuse® PPTC Self-Resettable Fuse Product Line Introduced
Bourns launched first website.
Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Honored Recipients of Sensors Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary and the 50th Anniversary of Bourns, Inc., by Visiting Every Plant
Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Received the Prestigious Spirit of Leadership Award at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Banquet
Bourns introduced standard and custom surge protection solutions.
Acquired Power Innovations, Ltd., a Leading Manufacturer of Thyristor-Based Overvoltage Protectors
Acquired Communication Protection Product Lines from Joslyn
Received QS9000 Certification
Acquired the Assets of Microelectronics Modules Corp. and Telecom Protection Assets from Texas Instruments
Acquired Assets of Ruf Automotive, a Company o W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG
Acquired assets for Switch Power Converters.
Received ISO/TS16949 Certification.
Acquired Tyco/Meggitt’s Fuel Card Products Assets
Acquired Assets of J.W. Miller Division of Bell Industries, the Automotive Controls Division of SSI Technologies, Inc. and the Polymer PTC business of Therm-O-Disc, Inc
Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary and the 60th Anniversary of Bourns, Inc., by Visiting Most Plants
8th STEP Conference
Acquired Fultec Semiconductor’s TBU® High-Speed Protector Product Line and Emerson’s Gas Discharge Tube Business
Sold Recon/Optical, Inc. (ROI) business to Goodrich Corp.
Bourns received an acknowledgement from Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Company for its role in supporting the F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter Program.
Acquired Central Office Surge Protection Products Assets from Corning Cable Systems LLC
Bourns Family Received the California State University San Bernardino’s Spirit of Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award
On July 7, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary and the 65th Anniversary of Bourns, Inc. They attended the 2011 Bourns Production System (BPS) Celebration in Taipei, Taiwan
Co-founder, Rosemary Bourns Passed Away in September, at Age 87
Acquired Assets from Jensen Devices AB, Stockholm, Sweden
Acquired Komatsulite, Mfg. Co., Ltd of Japan
Founder/Inventor, Marlan Bourns Passed Away in March, at Age 93
Acquired Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd Trimming Potentiometer Business
Bourns, Inc. converted ~150,000 square feet of grass lawn to drought-tolerant plants, saving nearly 5 million gallons of water a year.
Acquired Transtek Power Transformer Business
California State Assembly Awarded Bourns, Inc. with Outstanding Waste Management Award. Bourns, Inc. received “Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful” Mayor’s Award.
Bourns, Inc. received First Place Beautification Award for maintenance of existing facilities and landscaping from Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful.
Bourns, Inc. received First Place Beautification Award for maintenance of existing facilities and landscaping from Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful.
Bourns Celebrated Its 70th Anniversary
Acquired all assets of I&T GmbH, a supplier of extruded flat flexible cables for clockspring torque sensors.
Acquired KEKO-Varicon overvoltage protection products. KEKO-Varicon is a leading manufacturer of overvoltage protection products that include varistor and EMI suppression products.
Record performance despite shutdowns, even during COVID-19 pandemic. Our valued employees keep us strong with on-time delivery and best-in-class customer service. Earning customer awards, including TTI Global Operations Excellence Award for 2020, makes Bourns a stronger company.
Acquired in 2021, Kaschke provides expertise in magnetic core materials, and an expanded portfolio of magnetic solutions, both major competitive advantages. Kaschke Components has the primary focus of manufacturing ferrite cores for the growing inductor and transformer industry.
Bourns 75th Anniversary marks a major milestone in our company’s success. With ongoing innovation, Bourns continues to solve tough design problems, meeting dynamic nextgeneration requirements.