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Watkins-Johnson Company

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Watkins-Johnson Company
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryElectronics
Founded1957
FounderDean A. Watkins,
H. Richard Johnson
FateAcquired by TriQuint Semiconductor
SuccessorWJ Communications Inc.
HeadquartersPalo Alto, California
Key people
W. Keith Kennedy (former CEO)

Watkins-Johnson Company was a designer and manufacturer of electronic devices, systems, and equipment. The company, commonly referred to as "W-J", was formed in 1957 by Dean A. Watkins and H. Richard Johnson, and was headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Its products included microwave tubes, followed by solid-state microwave devices, electronic warfare subsystems and systems, receiving equipment, antennas, furnaces and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and automated test equipment.[1][2]

History

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Partial Corporate Timeline

  • December 1957: Watkins-Johnson Company was founded[1][3]
  • June 1963: Acquired Stewart Engineering Company, a manufacturer of backward-wave oscillators[1][3]
  • Fall 1967: Acquired Communication Electronics, Inc. (CEI) of Rockville, Maryland, producer of receivers and related equipment[1]
  • June 1968: Listed on New York Stock Exchange[1]
  • 1970: Acquired RELCOM, manufacturer of electronic components such as mixers[1]
  • 1970: Acquired antenna product line from Granger Associates
  • 1978: Opened plant in San Jose, California
  • April 1995: Microwave surveillance systems unit sold to Condor Systems, Inc.[4]
  • October 1997: Military devices and subsystem businesses sold to Stellex Industries[5][6]
  • July 1999: Semiconductor Equipment Group sold to Silicon Valley Group
  • August 1999: Telecommunications Group sold to Marconi North America[7]
  • October 1999: Wireless Products Group sold to Fox-Paine and Company[8]
  • August 2000: Initial Public Offering of WJ Communications, W-J successor, by Fox-Paine on NASDAQ[9]
  • March 2008: WJ Communications acquired by TriQuint Semiconductor[10][11][12]

The Watkins-Johnson plant in Scotts Valley, California was discovered to have soil and groundwater contamination in 1984. It was added to the EPA's Superfund list in 1990.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Watkins-Johnson Company History". Funding Universe. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  2. ^ Kenney, Martin (2000). Understanding Silicon Valley: The Anatomy of an Entrepreneurial Region. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN 0804737347.
  3. ^ a b O'Laughlin, Terry (2016). H. Richard Johnson, in 'Memorial Tributes: Volume 20'. National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/23394. ISBN 978-0-309-43729-5. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Condor Systems, Inc. Purchases Microwave Surveillance Systems Unit from Watkins-Johnson". Business Wire. The Free Library. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Watkins-Johnson to Sell Military Related Divisions". The New York Times. 3 September 1997. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Watkins-Johnson Sells Division to Stellex". The New York Times. 1 November 1997. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Watkins-Johnson Selling a Unit to G.E.C. of Britain". The New York Times. 19 August 1999. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  8. ^ "Fox-Paine to Buy Watkins-Johnson for $270 Million". The New York Times. 27 October 1999. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  9. ^ "WJ Communications Inc (WJCI) IPO". NASDAQ. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Watkins-Johnson's legacy sold for $1 a share". siliconbeat. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  11. ^ "WJ's Heritage". TriQuint Semiconductor. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  12. ^ "TriQuint Acquires Ailing WJ Communications". Seeking Alpha. 10 March 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Superfund - Site Overviews - Watkins-Johnson Company (Stewart Division)". epa.gov. US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
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