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Needlers One of the world's largest medical technology companies, BD was started by two medical supply salesmen who were dissatisfied with the quality of syringes and thermometers then available. More than 100 years later, the company still produces syringes. Of course, its present offerings, like the Vacutainer syringe and the SAFETY-LOK syringe -- with visible, audible, and tactile indications of when its needle shield is locked into place -- are light years beyond BD's earlier breakthrough product: the all-glass syringe. Today, BD is the leading supplier of hypodermic products, including insulin syringes, as well as safety devices to protect health care workers from catching infectious diseases. The company provides health care education, and also makes other specialized medical equipment such as infusion therapy products, flow cytometry systems, and lab equipment used in tissue cultures. Double time As BD heads into its second century, it has made some big plans. Most notably, it wants to double its already considerable revenue by the end of 2002. To do so, the company has made a commitment to further expand its markets in both manufacturing and sales overseas, particularly in China and India (sales outside the U.S. currently account for about 47 percent of total revenue). The second part of the plan is the introduction of new products. This process has been spurred by the integration of the Microbiology systems, Immunocytometry systems, and Labware businesses. BD has also begun partnering with health care startups, lending them money and lab space, with an eye on cultivating partnerships for product development. Perhaps most importantly, BD has been on an acquisition spree. First, it bought antibody reagent maker PharMingen for $62 million in late-1997. The next year, it boosted its medical device holdings by acquiring MDI Instruments, Ohmeda Medical, Luther Medical Products, and the medical device arm of The BOC Group. Other purchases included ophthalmic surgery products manufacturer Visitec, microbiology company Difco Laboratories, sports medicine outfit Tru-Fit Marketing Corp, and health care information manager Intellicode. Finally, BD kicked off 1999 by purchasing transfusion medicine and oncology concern Biometric Imaging. Together, BD's new children were expected to raise an additional $1.4 billion annually. Bloody successful So far, it appears that BD's new business strategy is paying off. After years of slow growth, the company posted record revenues of $3.117 billion in 1998. (This represented a 10.9 percent increase over the previous year, compared to an average annual growth of 3.5 percent between 1992 and 1997.) Most BD branches grew by ten percent or more for the year. Since early-1999, BD has acquired clinical diagnostic firm Biometric Imaging Inc., Clonetech Laboratories, and Energetics Science Inc. Additionally, BD has formed strategic alliances with companies like Arab firm Al-Sayf Development Company, Millennium, Novation, Qiagen PreAnalytix NV, and University HealthSystem Consortium. The company appears well on its way to realizing its goal of doubling in size by the end of 2002.
Applicants should contact BD's Human Resources department to obtain contact information for the division in which they are interested. The seven divisions are Corporate, Diabetes Healthcare, Injection Systems, Labware, Pharmaceutical Systems, Sample Collection, and Supply Chain. BD accepts resumes for specific positions only and does not advertise job openings nationally. The company does, however, advertise in local newspapers and trade publications. It also offers an extensive internship program in the areas of Corporate Strategy and Development, Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, Library Science, Marketing, Research and Development, and Supply Chain Management.
As bureaucratic as they wanna be According to insiders, BS is "as good and as bad as any major, corporate-driven company." One negative aspect, therefore, is rampant bureaucracy: "If you graduate past the lower levels, you will be in more meetings than you could ever imagine. Paperwork and red tape will consume a lot of your time." Laments one insider, "You're just another gear in the machine - for example, after one and a half years at BD, my project got canceled and all of my work thrown out." Another informant disagrees: "BD is undergoing some radical internal changes that will make the next 12 to 18 months exciting times. It would be a good time to join since a lot of the old guard are [sic] leaving." Inside the office, the culture "is pretty laid-back." The corporate divisions have a "more traditional and formal working atmosphere," but the lab divisions are "steadily becoming more and more relaxed." Club med BD "continues to be one of the most respected companies in the medical sector." Employees work on a sort of limited flex-time schedule. "You can come in between 8 and 9 and leave anytime between 4 and 5." Perks may not be abundant, but some employees have apparently found an odd way around the problem: "I used to give my blood every two weeks for cash under-the-table," says one plasma-rich erstwhile employee of BD. "They don't take much and [they] use it to test their Vacutainer systems." Most insiders don't feel the need to act as guinea pigs, however, since the company "pays well for top performance." Join the team Apparently, "diversity is more than just a buzzword" at BD. Reports one source, "I'm surrounded by people that promote and believe in a true 'team-oriented culture,'" no matter what the makeup. Says another: "[The company's] professional ethic is the best without regard to any specific sexual or ethnic consideration."
Human Resources P.O. Box 82551 Gaithersburg MD 20898 (888) 771-9898
Diabetes Health Care;Flow Cytometry;Infusion therapy;Sample Collection;Tissue culture
ALZA; Ballard Medical More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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