PerkinElmer

On April 19, 1937, Charles W. Elmer and Richard Perkin formed Perkin-Elmer as a partnership. Elmer then headed a court-reporting firm and was near retirement age; Perkin was a young investment banker who had studied chemical engineering at Pratt Institute for a year. The two met at an astronomy lecture Elmer gave in Brooklyn. Perkin raised $15,000 from relatives and Elmer contributed $5,000; the firm first worked from an office in Manhattan, then began producing optical components in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was incorporated on December 13, 1939.⁠[1]

Perkin-Elmer began as an optical design and consulting company focused on optical systems for astronomical instruments.⁠[2]

In 1941 the company moved to Fairfield County, Connecticut, first to Glenbrook near Stamford and later to Norwalk and Wilton. In 1942 it became the first optical instrument maker to win a Navy “E” award, and in 1944 it produced its first infrared spectrometer. Co-founder Elmer died in 1954 at the age of 83. In 1955 the company first sold stock to the public, trading over the counter, and introduced gas chromatographs.⁠[1]

During the Second World War Perkin-Elmer made aerial camera lenses and high-precision tank periscope prisms, building a reputation in military optics and electronics; after the war it moved into precision analytical instruments, including infrared spectrometers, flame photometers, vapor fractometers and atomic absorption spectrophotometers. It then expanded geographically from its home base in Norwalk to plants and offices in Chicago, New Orleans, Pasadena and Zurich.⁠[2]

In 1954 Perkin-Elmer acquired Bodenseewerk Apparate und Maschinenbau G.m.b.H., an optical and aircraft testing instrument plant in Überlingen, Germany, which operated from 1954 to 2001; in 1955 it established the subsidiary Nuclear Magnetics Corporation.⁠[3]

On December 13, 1960, Perkin-Elmer listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PKN, with Richard Perkin buying the first 100 shares at $47.50 in the listing ceremony. In June 1961 Robert E. Lewis became president and chief executive.⁠[1]

Also in 1960, Hitachi Perkin-Elmer was established in Japan.⁠[4]

In 1969 Apollo 11 astronauts placed Perkin-Elmer laser retroreflectors on the Moon; Richard Perkin died that year at the age of 62. In September 1971 the company acquired METCO Inc. In 1977 Perkin-Elmer received NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the U.S. federal agency responsible for the civilian space program, aeronautics research and space science. Established by law in 1958 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., it has run programs including Mercury, the Apollo Moon landings, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and Artemis.Open the full entry’s contract to develop the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched in 1990.⁠[1]

Perkin-Elmer acquired Interdata, Inc. in 1974 and Physical Electronics Industries in 1977.⁠[4]

In early 1993 Perkin-Elmer acquired Applied Biosystems, a DNA sequencing and synthesis firm.⁠[1]

In 1995 Tony L. White became president, chairman and CEO of Perkin-Elmer, and the company was restructured into two divisions.⁠[4]

In 1999 the original Perkin-Elmer company was recapitalized as PE Corporation, which in 2000 rebranded as Applera Corporation.⁠[2]

On March 8, 1999, EG&G, Inc. of Wellesley, Massachusetts, announced that it would acquire Perkin-Elmer’s Analytical Instruments Division for $425 million, with ownership of the “Perkin-Elmer” brand name transferring to EG&G. The division had 3,100 employees and fiscal 1998 sales of $569 million; the deal was expected to close in EG&G’s second quarter. Gregory L. Summe was then EG&G’s president and CEO.⁠[5]

EG&G had been founded in 1947 by MIT professor Harold E. Edgerton and several former students. In July 1999 EG&G adopted the name PerkinElmer, Inc.⁠[4]

On November 14, 2001, PerkinElmer completed its acquisition of Packard BioScience, a drug discovery tools company, integrating it into its Life Sciences business and extending its capabilities in automated liquid handling and sample preparation.⁠[6]

By 2002 nearly 80% of the old EG&G had been sold. The company then integrated its life sciences and analytical instruments businesses, and the combined unit accounted for 65% of revenue in 2003. In 2005 it set plans in motion to sell its fluid sciences business unit.⁠[4]

In September 2006 PerkinElmer announced the acquisition of Avalon Instruments of Belfast, Northern Ireland; terms were not disclosed. Avalon made bench-top dispersive Raman spectrometers supporting both bulk analysis and microscopic imaging.⁠[7]

The deal added Raman instruments to PerkinElmer’s molecular spectroscopy portfolio. Robert F. Friel was then president of PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences, and Andrew Dennis was managing director of Avalon Instruments.⁠[8]

On January 23, 2008, PerkinElmer announced that Robert F. Friel would become CEO effective February 1, 2008, while retaining the title of president, and that Gregory L. Summe would remain executive chairman through the April 2009 annual shareholders’ meeting.⁠[9]

On November 7, 2011, PerkinElmer completed its acquisition of Caliper Life Sciences, a Hopkinton, Massachusetts–based provider of imaging and detection solutions, for $10.50 per share, a total net purchase price of about $600 million in cash. Kevin Hrusovsky, Caliper’s former CEO, joined PerkinElmer to lead a combined business of about $500 million, made up of Caliper and PerkinElmer’s existing research business.⁠[10]

On June 19, 2017, PerkinElmer announced that it would acquire EUROIMMUN of Lübeck, Germany, for about $1.3 billion in cash; EUROIMMUN had about 2,400 employees and expected revenue of about $310 million that year.⁠[11]

On December 19, 2017, PerkinElmer announced that it had completed its acquisition of EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics AG.⁠[12]

On August 21, 2019, PerkinElmer announced a leadership succession plan: Robert F. Friel, CEO for the previous 12 years, would retire as chairman, CEO and director at the end of the fiscal year on December 29, 2019, and serve as an adviser until March 1, 2020; Prahlad Singh, who joined the company in 2014 and was president and chief operating officer, would become CEO on December 30, 2019.⁠[13]

On September 17, 2021, PerkinElmer completed its acquisition of the antibody and reagent company BioLegend for total consideration of about $5.25 billion, the largest acquisition in its history; the company expected BioLegend to contribute an incremental $380 million of revenue in fiscal 2022.⁠[14]

On August 1, 2022, PerkinElmer, Inc. announced the sale of its Applied, Food and Enterprise Services businesses to the growth-oriented private equity firm New Mountain Capital for up to $2.45 billion in cash, comprising $2.30 billion at closing and $150 million contingent on the exit valuation New Mountain Capital achieves in a sale or other capital events relating to the business. The PerkinElmer name and brand would be retained by the divested businesses under new ownership, while the retained Life Sciences and Diagnostics business would adopt a new name and ticker. The divested businesses were expected to generate about $1.3 billion in 2022 revenue and about 6,000 of PerkinElmer’s nearly 17,000 employees; closing was expected in the first quarter of 2023.⁠[15]

On March 13, 2023, PerkinElmer completed the sale of its Applied, Food and Enterprise Services businesses to New Mountain Capital. After closing, the retained Life Sciences and Diagnostics business temporarily kept the PerkinElmer name and its NYSE symbol PKI under president and CEO Prahlad Singh, with a new name, brand and ticker to be unveiled in the second quarter of 2023.⁠[16]

The new PerkinElmer under New Mountain Capital became an independent company on March 13, 2023, with Dirk Bontridder as CEO from that date. Bontridder had spent 11 years at Eurofins Scientific Services, where he was Group Executive Vice President. The company then had more than 6,000 team members, with businesses including OneSource field and laboratory services and atomic spectroscopy, molecular spectroscopy and chromatography instruments, consumables and reagents.⁠[17]

On May 9, 2023, the former listed company that retained the life sciences and diagnostics business officially launched as Revvity, Inc., and from May 16, 2023, it began trading under the new name and the symbol RVTY (formerly NYSE: PKI). Revvity is led by president and CEO Prahlad Singh and had 2022 revenue of more than $3 billion and more than 11,000 employees.⁠[18]

In December 2023 PerkinElmer announced that it had acquired Covaris, a life science tools developer founded in 1999 and based in Woburn, Massachusetts; terms were not disclosed. Both companies were majority owned by New Mountain Capital.⁠[19]

On March 11, 2025, PerkinElmer announced the acquisition of Project Farma from its parent, Precision for Medicine; the price was not disclosed. Founded in 2016, Project Farma provides life sciences companies with services including project management, commissioning, qualification and validation, quality compliance and engineering consulting, with a focus on complex biologics and cell and gene therapies.⁠[20]

On March 23, 2026, PerkinElmer announced the appointment of Michael Stubblefield as chief executive officer, succeeding Dirk Bontridder. Stubblefield also serves as a senior advisor to New Mountain Capital.⁠[21]

Stubblefield has more than 30 years of experience in life sciences and specialty materials; he was president and CEO of Avantor from 2014 to 2025 and earlier held roles at McKinseyMcKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & Company is a management consulting firm headquartered in New York, United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey and, after Marvin Bower established its “professional service” principles, grew into one of the largest pure consulting firms in the world; as of October 2026 it has more than 100 offices in over 50 countries and about 40,000 employees. It has also repeatedly faced regulatory investigations and public criticism over episodes such as its work with Enron, a former leader’s insider trading case, and its consulting for opioid manufacturers.Open the full entry and Celanese.⁠[22]

PerkinElmer announced a signed agreement to acquire SimoTech on August 11, 2026, and announced completion on September 3, 2026; the price was not disclosed. SimoTech, headquartered in Cork, Ireland, and founded in 2011, provides manufacturing automation and GMP IT solutions to the life sciences industry.⁠[23]

Perkin-Elmer’s sales reached a record $1.3 billion in fiscal 1985 (ended July); a $95 million restructuring charge produced an $18 million loss in fiscal 1987, the company’s first; in fiscal 1992 revenue was $911 million and profit $59 million. The company was then headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, with 6,085 employees.⁠[1]

PerkinElmer, Inc. had sales of $1.47 billion in 2005 and 10,000 employees, with headquarters in Wellesley, Massachusetts.⁠[4]

In January 2008 PerkinElmer had 9,100 employees.⁠[9]

PerkinElmer had revenue of about $1.7 billion in 2010, and in 2011 had about 7,000 employees serving customers in more than 150 countries.⁠[10]

PerkinElmer had revenue of about $2.1 billion in 2016, and in 2017 had about 11,400 employees and was a component of the S&P 500S&P 500The S&P 500 is a U.S. large-cap equity index compiled by S&P Dow Jones Indices. It includes 500 leading companies, covers about 80% of available market capitalization and is described by S&P DJI as “widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap U.S. equities.”Open the full entry.⁠[12]

Under GAAP, PerkinElmer’s revenue was $3.783 billion in 2020 and $5.067 billion in 2021; in early 2022 it had more than 16,000 employees.⁠[24]

PerkinElmer describes itself as a global leader in analytical and testing solutions and pharma specialty services.⁠[23]

The company is headquartered at 710 Bridgeport Ave, Shelton, Connecticut, has offices in 35 countries and serves customers in 168 countries directly and through distributors, with 100,000 active instruments and 90,000 customers. Its businesses comprise BioPharma (including OneSource, Project Farma and Covaris), Applied Solutions (industrial applications, environmental science, and agriculture and food) and Food Solutions (including Perten, Meizheng and Solus).⁠[25]

As of September 2026, PerkinElmer had 5,500 colleagues.⁠[23]

As of November 2026, PerkinElmer’s leadership team included, besides CEO Michael Stubblefield, Kaveh Kahen, president of Analytical & Testing Solutions; Anshul Mangal, president of Pharma Speciality Services; Annemarie Watson, president of Omics; and chief financial officer Adam Jones, among others.⁠[22]

PerkinElmer: Official website: https://www.perkinelmer.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[26]

X: Public account: https://x.com/PerkinElmer (opens in a new window).⁠[26]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/perkinelmer/ (opens in a new window).⁠[26]