Bourns Timeline

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Founding

1947

Bourns Laboratories Founded by Marlan and Rosemary Bourns in Their Altadena, CA Garage

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Initial Products

February 1, 1947

Included Linear Motion Potentiometers and Angle of Attack (Vane) Potentiometers

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Aerospace

1948

Bourdon Tube and Accelerometer Transducers Developed and Sold to Aerospace Companies

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Catalog

1948

Published first product catalog.

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Scaling Up

1949

Company Moves from Altadena Garage to Storefront in Pasadena, CA

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Gordon Bourns

1949

Gordon Bourns born in Pasadena, CA

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Relocation

1950

Company relocated to 6135 Magnolia Ave. in Riverside, CA with financial assistance from Riverside Chamber of Commerce.

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Linda Bourns

1950

Linda Bourns born in Pasadena, CA.

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Additional products

1951

Developed Additional Models of Linear Motion, Pressure and Accelerometer Transducers

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Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometer

1952

Marlan Bourns invents and develops the Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometer, introduced at ISA show in Cleveland, OH.

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Incorporation

1952

Company incorporated as Bourns Position Instruments, Inc.

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Employee Newsletter

1952

First employee newsletter published.

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Patent Filing

1953

Trimpot Variable Resistor Trimming Potentiometer Patent Filed

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Trimtones

1953

Initial organization of the TRIMTONES big band ensemble.

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Cash Profit Sharing Plan

1954

Marlan Bourns Announced Cash Profit Sharing Plan

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Expansion

1954

Company continued to expand with 158 employees at year end.

Annual Sales 1954

1954

Annual sales exceeded $1,000,000.

TRIMTONES

1955

TRIMTONES Reorganized and Expanded

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Anita Bourns

1955

Anita Bourns born in Riverside, CA.

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New Plant

1956

Ames, Iowa Plant Opened

Introductions and Announcements

1956

Marlan Bourns introduced Company goals: Quality, Delivery, and Price. Marlan Bourns announced deferred profit sharing plan.

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Patent Issued

1957

The patent for the Trimpot Variable Resistor Issued

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IPO

1957

Initial public stock offering was filed.

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NYC

1957

Opened East Coast sales office in New York City area.

Ames, Iowa

1957

The Ames, IA plant expanded to over 150 employees.

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Denise Bourns

1957

Denise Bourns born in Riverside, CA.

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YPO

1958

Marlan Bourns elected to membership in the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO)

Becoming Bourns, Inc.

1959

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.

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Worldwide Corporate Headquarters Opened

1960

Company purchased 45-acre site on Columbia Ave. at Iowa Ave. in Riverside for a future plant.

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Toronto Plant

1960

A plant in Toronto, Canada opened to produce Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometers for the Canadian government.

Annual Sales 1960

1960

Annual sales exceeded $10,000,000.

Growth Company of the Year

1961

Bourns Named “Growth Company of the Year” by National Association of Investment Clubs

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Construction

1961

Construction of the 1200 Columbia Ave. building initiated and substantially completed.

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Net Profit 1962

1961

Net profit exceeded $1,000,000

Bourns AG

1962

Bourns AG European Headquarters Established in Zug, Switzerland

Corporate Offices and Trimpot Division facility

1962

Formal opening of the corporate offices and Trimpot Division facility on Columbia Ave. in Riverside, CA.

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Annual Sales 1962

1962

Annual sales exceeded $21,000,000.

Top 10 New Plants Award

1963

Bourns’ New Columbia Ave. Plant Received Factory Magazine‘s “Top 10 New Plants” Award

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Introduced the KNOBPOT™

1963

Introduced the KNOBPOT™ Potentiometer, the Miniature Relay and Linear Variable Differential Transformer products.

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New Sales Offices

1964

Bourns (Trimpot) Ltd. Sales Office Opened in London and Bourns Nederland NV Sales Office Opened in Voorburg

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Recon/Optical, Inc.

1965

Acquired Chicago Aerial Industries (Recon/Optical, Inc.)

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Bourns Puerto Rico, Inc

1965

Bourns Puerto Rico, Inc. was established in Cidra

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Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometers Manufacturing

1965

Completed new 75,000 sq. ft. plant in Ames, IA as a second location to manufacture Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometers

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Bourns IPO

1966

Bourns’ Stock Listed on New York and Pacific Stock Exchanges with Symbol “BOU”

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GOLD SHOVEL

1966

Bourns was given the “GOLD SHOVEL” award by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce for outstanding contributions to the economic growth of Southern California.

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BEFCU

1966

The Bourns Employees Federal Credit Union was chartered and began operations.

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Bourns Life Systems

1966

Bourns Life Systems infant respirator manufacturing begins at Ames, IA plant.

Joint Venture

1966

Formation of Murata-Bourns Y.K. joint venture for manufacture of Trimpot® trimming potentiometers in Kyoto, Japan.

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Infant Respirator

1968

Life Systems Introduced the Infant Respirator to the U.S. and European Hospital Markets

Germany

1968

Established Sales Subsidiary in Stuttgart, Germany

Euphonics Industries

1968

Acquired Euphonics Industries & Euphonics Corp. both producing ultrasonic detection equipment.

Bourns Products Supported Apollo 11 Moon Landing

1969

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.

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Bourns de Mexico

1969

Bourns de Mexico Manufacturing Plant Opened in Tijuana, Mexico

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Precision Monolithics, Inc.

1969

Expanded in microelectronics by formation of Precision Monolithics, Inc. in Santa Clara, CA.

Life Systems Group Relocation

1969

Life Systems Group relocated to Riverside, CA.

Bourns Caribe, Inc.

1969

Bourns Caribe, Inc. was established in Humacao, Puerto Rico.

Sensors & Controls

1970

Panel Controls & Precision Potentiometers Product Lines Introduced

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Ohmic, Inc. Acquisition

1970

Acquired Ohmic, Inc. a French resistor company.

Saber Management Systems Acquisition

1970

Acquired Saber Management Systems, a company engaged in data acquisition and processing.

Medaids, Inc. Acquisition

1970

Acquired Medaids, Inc. cardio-pulmonary instruments.

R.C.L. Electronics, Inc. Acquisition

1970

Acquired R.C.L. Electronics, Inc. manufacturer of precision resistors, power resistors, networks and delay lines.

WPO Founded

1970

Marlan Bourns co-founded the World Presidents’ Organization.

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Semiconductor Acquisition

1974

Bourns Purchased Majority of Stock of Precision Monolithics, Inc. (PMI), a Semiconductor Company. Ground breaking for new PMI building in Santa Clara, CA.

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Management Systems Division

1974

Management Systems Division completed the development and installation of a sophisticated telecommunications data collection system for a major U.S. telephone company.

Annual Sales 1974

1974

Bourns, Inc. annual sales exceeded $100,000,000.

Resistor Network Products Introduced

1976

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.

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Bourns in El Salvador

1976

Bourns plant established in El Salvador.

Privatization

1977

Company Repurchased Stock and Went Private

Ceramics Moved

1977

Ceramics operation moved from Riverside, CA to Logan, Utah.

New Plant

1979

Precision/Control Products Plant Opens in Ogden, Utah

Move

1979

Bourns AG moved from Zug to Baar, Switzerland.

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Life Systems Division Sold

1979

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

1980

Bourns Electronics, Ltd. Trimmer Plant Opened in Cork, Ireland

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Plant Opened in Tijuana

1980

Precisions & Controls Plant Opened in Tijuana, Mexico

Plant Opened in Heredia

1981

Trimpot Electronics, S.A. Plant Opened in Heredia, Costa Rica

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Trimmer Primer

1981

The Trimmer Primer Handbook was published.

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Networks Division Plant

1982

Networks Division Plant Completed and Operational in Logan, Utah

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IC Packaging Division

1982

IC Packaging Division formed.

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Cost Reduction Program

1982

“Watch Your P’s & Q’s” cost reduction program initiated.

New Facility in Riverside, CA

1983

Industrial Division Opened New Facility on Chicago Ave. in Riverside, CA

Trimmer Primer II

1983

Trimmer Primer II Handbook published.

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Precision & Controls Division

1983

Precision & Controls Division expanded in Ogden, Utah.

Created and Introduced Bourns University

1984

A series of courses for developing capabilities in technical, managerial and communications areas

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Surface Mount

1985

Surface Mount Trimmers and Resistor Networks Introduced

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Trimmer Primer III & PMI Linear Primer

1985

Trimmer Primer III Handbook and PMI Linear Primer Handbook published.

Design Technology Center

1985

PMI’s Design Technology Center opened in Anaheim, CA.

Taipei, Taiwan

1986

Taipei, Taiwan Manufacturing Facility Began Operations

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Systems and Research Center

1986

Recon/Optical, Inc. completed new Systems and Research Center in Barrington, IL.

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Trimmer Primer IV

1986

The Trimmer Primer IV Handbook published.

IC Packages Division Sold

1986

Bourns’ IC Packages Division sold to DuPont Co. in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Sycamore Canyon Park

1986

The Bourns family donated 246 acres towards the creation of Sycamore Canyon Regional Park.

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Riverside Business of the Year

1987

Bourns, Inc. Named “Riverside Business of the Year” by the Riverside Chamber of Commerce

40th Anniversary

1987

Bourns, Inc. celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a dinner on Marlan & Rosemary’s 40th Wedding Anniversary.

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Hong Kong Office

1987

Hong Kong sales office opened.

Road to Perfection

1988

Initiated Company-Wide Road to Perfection Philosophy

Asia Pacific Sales Offices

1988

Expanded sales offices in Asia Pacific.

Bourns Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

1988

Formalized Bourns Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Automotive Steering Sensors

1989

Sensors & Controls Division Introduced Line of Automotive Steering Sensors

Magnetics Product Line Sold

1989

Bourns sold Magnetics Product line to Datatronics, Ltd.

Columbia East Instruments Building

1990

Completed Construction of Columbia East Instruments Building

Precision Monolithics Subsidiary Sold

1990

Sold Precision Monolithics subsidiary to Analog Devices, Inc.

Altadena Garage Replica

1990

Altadena garage replica dedicated at Riverside Headquarters.

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Recon Optical, Inc. Cameras

1991

Recon Optical, Inc. Cameras Imaged Over 4,000,000 U.S. Reconnaissance Photos During Desert Storm

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Tokyo Sales Office

1992

Tokyo, Japan Sales Office Opened

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

1993

Bourns Earned Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Xiamen Manufacturing Facility

1994

Xiamen, China Manufacturing Facility Began Operations

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Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering and Bourns Hall

1994

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.

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Trimmer Asset Acquisition

1994

Bourns acquired Mepcopal’s Trimmer assets.

Multifuse® Introduced

1995

Multifuse® PPTC Self-Resettable Fuse Product Line Introduced

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World Wide Web

1995

Bourns launched first website.

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Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Honored

1996

Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Honored Recipients of Sensors Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award

50th Anniversaries

1997

Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary and the 50th Anniversary of Bourns, Inc., by Visiting Every Plant

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Spirit of Leadership Award

1998

Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Received the Prestigious Spirit of Leadership Award at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Banquet

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Surge Protection Solutions

1998

Bourns introduced standard and custom surge protection solutions.

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Thyristor-Based Overvoltage Protectors

2000

Acquired Power Innovations, Ltd., a Leading Manufacturer of Thyristor-Based Overvoltage Protectors

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Joslyn Acquisition

2001

Acquired Communication Protection Product Lines from Joslyn

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QS9000

2001

Received QS9000 Certification

Two Acquisitions

2003

Acquired the Assets of Microelectronics Modules Corp. and Telecom Protection Assets from Texas Instruments

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Ruf Automotive Acquisition

2004

Acquired Assets of Ruf Automotive, a Company o W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG

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Switch Power Converters Acquisition

2004

Acquired assets for Switch Power Converters.

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ISO/TS16949

2004

Received ISO/TS16949 Certification.

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Fuel Card Acquisition

2005

Acquired Tyco/Meggitt’s Fuel Card Products Assets

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Three Acquisitions

2006

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

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60th Anniversaries

2007

Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary and the 60th Anniversary of Bourns, Inc., by Visiting Most Plants

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STEP

2007

8th STEP Conference

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Two Acquisitions

2008

Acquired Fultec Semiconductor’s TBU® High-Speed Protector Product Line and Emerson’s Gas Discharge Tube Business

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Sale

2008

Sold Recon/Optical, Inc. (ROI) business to Goodrich Corp.

Acknowledgement

2008

Bourns received an acknowledgement from Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Company for its role in supporting the F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter Program.

Asset Acquisition

2009

Acquired Central Office Surge Protection Products Assets from Corning Cable Systems LLC

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Spirit of Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award

2010

Bourns Family Received the California State University San Bernardino’s Spirit of Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award

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65th Anniversaries

2012

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

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Rosemary Bourns Passed Away

2012

Co-founder, Rosemary Bourns Passed Away in September, at Age 87

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Asset Acquisition

2012

Acquired Assets from Jensen Devices AB, Stockholm, Sweden

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Komatsulite, Mfg. Co., Ltd Acquisition

2014

Acquired Komatsulite, Mfg. Co., Ltd of Japan

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Marlan Bourns Passed Away

2014

Founder/Inventor, Marlan Bourns Passed Away in March, at Age 93

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Trimming Potentiometer Business Acquisition

2015

Acquired Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd Trimming Potentiometer Business

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Drought Resistant Landscaping

2015

Bourns, Inc. converted ~150,000 square feet of grass lawn to drought-tolerant plants, saving nearly 5 million gallons of water a year.

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Acquisition

2016

Acquired Transtek Power Transformer Business

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Environmental Awards

2016

California State Assembly Awarded Bourns, Inc. with Outstanding Waste Management Award. Bourns, Inc. received “Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful” Mayor’s Award.

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One More Environmental Award

2017

Bourns, Inc. received First Place Beautification Award for maintenance of existing facilities and landscaping from Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful.

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Beautification Award

2017

Bourns, Inc. received First Place Beautification Award for maintenance of existing facilities and landscaping from Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful.

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70th Anniversary

2017

Bourns Celebrated Its 70th Anniversary

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Acquired I&T GmbH

2019

Acquired all assets of I&T GmbH, a supplier of extruded flat flexible cables for clockspring torque sensors.

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KEKO-Varicon Acquisition

2019

Acquired KEKO-Varicon overvoltage protection products. KEKO-Varicon is a leading manufacturer of overvoltage protection products that include varistor and EMI suppression products.

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Record Performance

2020

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.

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Kaschke Acquisition

2021

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.

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Bourns 75th Anniversary

2022

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.

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Founding

Initial Products

Aerospace

Catalog

Scaling Up

Gordon Bourns

Relocation

Linda Bourns

Additional products

Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometer

Incorporation

Employee Newsletter

Patent Filing

Trimtones

Cash Profit Sharing Plan

Expansion

Annual Sales 1954

TRIMTONES

Anita Bourns

New Plant

Introductions and Announcements

Patent Issued

IPO

NYC

Ames, Iowa

Denise Bourns

YPO

Becoming Bourns, Inc.

Worldwide Corporate Headquarters Opened

Toronto Plant

Annual Sales 1960

Growth Company of the Year

Construction

Net Profit 1962

Bourns AG

Corporate Offices and Trimpot Division facility

Annual Sales 1962

Top 10 New Plants Award

Introduced the KNOBPOT™

New Sales Offices

Recon/Optical, Inc.

Bourns Puerto Rico, Inc

Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometers Manufacturing

Bourns IPO

GOLD SHOVEL

BEFCU

Bourns Life Systems

Joint Venture

Infant Respirator

Germany

Euphonics Industries

Bourns Products Supported Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Bourns de Mexico

Precision Monolithics, Inc.

Life Systems Group Relocation

Bourns Caribe, Inc.

Sensors & Controls

Ohmic, Inc. Acquisition

Saber Management Systems Acquisition

Medaids, Inc. Acquisition

R.C.L. Electronics, Inc. Acquisition

WPO Founded

Semiconductor Acquisition

Management Systems Division

Annual Sales 1974

Resistor Network Products Introduced

Bourns in El Salvador

Privatization

Ceramics Moved

New Plant

Move

Life Systems Division Sold

Bourns Electronics, Ltd. Trimmer Plant

Plant Opened in Tijuana

Plant Opened in Heredia

Trimmer Primer

Networks Division Plant

IC Packaging Division

Cost Reduction Program

New Facility in Riverside, CA

Trimmer Primer II

Precision & Controls Division

Created and Introduced Bourns University

Surface Mount

Trimmer Primer III & PMI Linear Primer

Design Technology Center

Taipei, Taiwan

Systems and Research Center

Trimmer Primer IV

IC Packages Division Sold

Sycamore Canyon Park

Riverside Business of the Year

40th Anniversary

Hong Kong Office

Road to Perfection

Asia Pacific Sales Offices

Bourns Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Automotive Steering Sensors

Magnetics Product Line Sold

Columbia East Instruments Building

Precision Monolithics Subsidiary Sold

Altadena Garage Replica

Recon Optical, Inc. Cameras

Tokyo Sales Office

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Xiamen Manufacturing Facility

Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering and Bourns Hall

Trimmer Asset Acquisition

Multifuse® Introduced

World Wide Web

Marlan & Rosemary Bourns Honored

50th Anniversaries

Spirit of Leadership Award

Surge Protection Solutions

Thyristor-Based Overvoltage Protectors

Joslyn Acquisition

QS9000

Two Acquisitions

Ruf Automotive Acquisition

Switch Power Converters Acquisition

ISO/TS16949

Fuel Card Acquisition

Three Acquisitions

60th Anniversaries

STEP

Two Acquisitions

Sale

Acknowledgement

Asset Acquisition

Spirit of Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award

65th Anniversaries

Rosemary Bourns Passed Away

Asset Acquisition

Komatsulite, Mfg. Co., Ltd Acquisition

Marlan Bourns Passed Away

Trimming Potentiometer Business Acquisition

Drought Resistant Landscaping

Acquisition

Environmental Awards

One More Environmental Award

Beautification Award

70th Anniversary

Acquired I&T GmbH

KEKO-Varicon Acquisition

Record Performance

Kaschke Acquisition

Bourns 75th Anniversary

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TimelineJS