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Fortive

Fortive: A Five-year-old start-up is named as one of the world’s most admired companies by Fortune.

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Fortive is a huge success in the technology industry currently controlling many businesses in Instrumentation, transportation, automation, franchise distribution, etc. The company was founded in 2016 by the current CEO of the company, Jim Lico. Fortive was a part of Danaher Corporation, an American diversified conglomerate that spun off the former in 2016. The headquarters of Fortive Corporation is based in Washington. For two consecutive years, Fortive was named as a Future 50 Company by Fortune. This young industrial conglomerate is also on the Fortune 500 list.

About Fortive Corporation

Fortive was created by Danaher Corporation by spinning off a few subsidiaries which include Matco and AMMCO-COATS. The main aim of Fortive is to deliver innovative technologies to its customers and solve pressing challenges.  Fortive works in various fields satisfying a wide range of customers. There are three main segments in which Fortive’s operating companies are divided. The first is Intelligent Operating Solutions which is responsible for ensuring better security and compliance and energy efficiency. Secondly, Precision Technologies solves very tough technical challenges thus a significant part of research and product development, and lastly, Advanced Healthcare Solutions ensures timely delivery of safe healthcare for the patients.

Fortive
Image Source: fortive.com

Growth and Strategic Acquisitions

Fortive is a very young company and since its foundation, the company has focused on acquiring other businesses from various fields. After it was spun off in June 2016, Fluke Corporation (a subsidiary of Fortive) acquired eMaint, a CMMS IIoT system. After a month, Global Transportation Technologies (GTT) was acquired which is a company in the traffic management sector. In July 2017, Fortive acquired Industrial Scientific, a Pittsburgh-based gas detection and safety-as-a-service company. The company also acquired Landauer for $770 million. It is a company that provides services to determine radiation exposure both at the occupational and environmental levels. Gilbarco Veeder Root, a subsidiary of Fortive acquired Orpak Systems which is known for delivering technical solutions to oil companies and commercial fleets.

In 2018, Fortive bought a software firm called Accruent for $2billion. This year Tektronix, another subsidiary of Fortive acquired Initial State which is a data streaming and visualization platform. Fortive Corporation has many subsidiaries acquiring companies in different fields which made it a big success within five years of its establishment. The company entered the healthcare sector after its acquisition of Johnson & Johnson’s Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP) business. This deal was closed in April 2019 and in the same year, Fortive acquired Censis Technologies, which is a SaaS company providing inventory guides in the surgical field.

In September 2019, Fortive announced that it will be splitting into two different publicly traded companies. Last year, Vontier, the new company was announced. Fortive has a very strong working culture and it significantly invests its time and energy in doing social work as well. As a socially responsible company, it tries to minimize waste production and avoid pollution along with adopting sustainable practices. In 2020, Fortive was named as one of the 500 most responsible companies by Newsweek.

About Danaher Corporation

Danaher Corporation is an American diversified conglomerate with its headquarters based in Washington, D.C. The company is divided into four platforms, namely, Life Sciences, Diagnostic, Water Quality, and Environmental & Applied Solutions. Danaher is known as one of the best companies for diverse employees. The founders of the company are Steven M. Rales and Mitchell Rales. It was founded back in 1969 as a real estate investment trust. The company was on a spree to acquire new companies and currently has an arsenal of subsidiaries. Danaher became one of the first companies in North America to adopt ‘Kaizen’ which is a Japanese philosophy of lean manufacturing. Both Danaher and Fortive believe in a sustainable way of manufacturing products. 

Jim Lico – Founder and CEO of Fortive Corporation

Fortive Founder and CEO
Image Source: fortive.com

The full name of Jim Lico is James A. Lico who is the founding president and CEO of the Fortive Corporation. He was a part of Danaher since 1996 and joined the company as Vice President Operations of Veeder-Root in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He participated in a broad chain of responsibilities in Danaher which includes running Danaher Business System (DSS) for a year, executive leader for the Emerging Market Regional Boards of China, Japan, India and Middle East, etc. Jim graduated with a BS degree from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Management from Northwestern University.

Singtel

Singtel: The Telecom Conglomerate and The Largest Mobile Network Operator in Singapore.

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Telecommunication is the most successful industry in the world, and there are few names that are the biggest contributor to what the telecommunication industry is today. Singtel is one such company, with almost a century-old history in the field. The company is based in Singapore and has a customer base of over 640 million. Singtel is one of the four leading telecom companies of Singapore, and apart from Singapore, it is serving in countries like Australia and India.

A Brief Introduction

Temasek Holdings is the owner company of Singtel, and it trades with the name Singapore Telecommunications Limited. Previously it was branded as SingTel. It is one of the four largest telecom companies in Singapore and is headquartered at 31 Exeter Rd, Singapore 239732. Singtel specializes in fixed-line and mobile telephony, broadband and fixed-line internet services, digital television as well as in IT and network services. As of  2020, the total recorded annual revenue of the company was SGD16.54 billion. Amobee, Dataspark Pte. Ltd., Hooq Digital, Singtel Innov8, NCS Pte Ltd, and Trustwave Holdings are some of its subsidiary companies.

Singtel
Image Source: tranglo.com

The Establishment of Singtel

The history of Singtel dates back to the era of the private telephone exchange in 1883. Singapore got its first telephone network handled by Oriental Telephone and Electric Company (OTEC). OTEC operated the local telephone line for about 25 years, and in 1907 it came under the control of the Central Telephone Exchange in Hill Street. The telephone companies then were under the control of British interests, which changed in the mid of 1950s.

In 1955, the Singapore government incorporated a separate entity to control the telephone networks in the country. The entity was a statutory body and was called the Singapore Telephone Board (STB). After working independently for about 20 years, STB was merged with the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore (TAS), which made the local telecom operations of STB go international. In 1982, the postal services of Singapore were also merged with the telecom services of Singapore.

In 1992, the Singapore telecom merger was again split back into three entities; the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS), Singapore Telecommunications Private Limited, and Singapore Post Private Limited. This spin-off also formed a subsidiary company named Telecommunications Equipment, which later became Singtel. This subsidiary was formed to make the telecom operations of the company expand to other countries as well. In 1992, the company was renamed Singtel, and a new logo was also introduced for it.

The Growth Years

In 1993, Singtel had the largest IPO of Singapore and was listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange on 1 November 1993. The same year, the company also entered the Philippines. In 1997, Singtel acquired National Computer Systems (NCS), and in 1999, it acquired a stake in Thailand’s Advanced Info Service (AIS). By the beginning of the 2000s, the company had entered countries like India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Africa, by acquiring shares in companies like Airtel, Optus, and Telkomsel.

Singtel also started its business in the field of enterprise solutions and investment business. In 2010, the company founded Innov8, an investment company to invest in innovative technologies. In 2012, Singtel acquired a digital marketing company named Amobee, and in 2015, the company took over the operations of a leading US cybersecurity firm, Trustwave. The same year,  Singtel came with an instant message app Wavee to compete with the already existing apps like Skype and WhatsApp. The users could make video and audio calls through the app.

Singtel
Image Source: hrmasia.com

The Company joined its hands with companies like Etisalat, SoftBank, and Telefónica for a  Global Telco Security Alliance to offer cybersecurity services to companies in 2018. The same year, Singtel established the FutureNow Innovation Centre to enter into the consulting business. Singtel, along with Ericsson and Singapore Polytechnic, started the first live 5G facility to support the 5G ecosystem in Singapore in 2019.

In 2020, Singtel won a 5G license for the nationwide 5G connectivity by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Singapore.

The CEO

Singtel announced Yuen Kuan Moon to become Group CEO of Singtel on 1 October 2020. He succeeded Chua Sock Koong as the CEO, who retired in January 2021 from her post. Kuan Moon has been with the company since 1993, and over these years, he has handled some major jobs at the marketing, business development, and sales department of the company. Other than being the CEO of Singtel, he also holds the position of chief digital officer in the company.

Etisalat Corporation

Etisalat Corporation: The most powerful Telecommunications Company in the Middle East.

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The Telecommunication Industry is always in demand and thus the companies are always booming. Different companies in the telecommunication sector are responsible for producing various equipment that is crucial to many other sectors as well. In the past few decades, many successful telecommunication companies have been established and expanded across the world, and one of them is Etisalat Group. Etisalat Corporation is one of the biggest telecommunication companies in the Middle East which is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

About Etisalat Corporation

Etisalat Corporation was founded in 1976 and currently, the CEO of the company is Hatem Dowidar. Apart from the Middle East countries, the company has also expanded its telecom services to Asia and Africa. In 2014, Etisalat was the 14th largest mobile network provider globally. As of 2019, the company’s consolidated net profit was AED8.7 billion and consolidated net revenue of AED52.2 billion. The company has maintained consistency in its performance for a long time and that’s one of the reasons behind its high credit ratings.

Etisalat Corporation
Image Source: teoco.com

When Etisalat was established more than four decades ago, it was the first telecom service provider in the country. This is the main reason behind the company’s success and that it has become more powerful with time. Currently, the company provides services to more than 149 million subscribers across 16 countries. By Ookla Speedtest in 2020, Etisalat is the fastest mobile network globally and it is also named as the “The Most Valuable Portfolio Brand” in the Middle East and in North Africa (MENA) by Brand Finance. Etisalat is also the first company from the Middle East to cross USD 10 billion in terms of wider portfolio value. 

There are mainly two reasons behind the huge success and recognition of Etisalat Group. The first reason is the company was established in such a time frame that initially it didn’t have any other competitors in the origin country. Having huge control over the market right from the beginning is very advantageous for a company’s growth and expansion. And, the second reason is even though the company grew rapidly it didn’t compromise the quality of the service they provide. Etisalat Corporation’s service has been very consistent from the beginning and till now they are equally looking after their customers.

History of the Etisalat Corporation

Founded in 1976, Etisalat Corporation launched its first mobile network in the Middle East six years from then. In 1983, the company went through some ownership changes according to which 60 percent of the share of the company will be received by the UAE government and the rest will be traded publicly. Etisalat even as a new company didn’t focus exclusively on its product line but also thought of the company and the country’s future. So, in 1989, the company established Etisalat University College to create and nurture engineers who will secure the future growth of the company. And, if the company makes a breakthrough it will also become a major success for that nation.

In 1991, the company received permission from the UAE central government to provide both wired and wireless telecommunication services across the country and also between other countries and UAE. With the much-evolving telecommunication sector, in 1994, the first GSM service in the Middle East was introduced in UAE. Seeing this as a very lucrative opportunity, Etisalat launched Emirates Data Clearing House which was to provide a complete suite of solutions to the GSM operators. During this period, the internet was rolling out in many countries and Etisalat was the first to avail internet services in the region. The company also opened its SIM card factory called Ebitkar in 1995.

In 2000, Etisalat’s mobile subscribers crossed the 1million benchmark as the mobile data services are introduced using eWap. Within the next couple of years, the subscribers increased by two folds and in 2003 the company launched the first 3G network in the Middle East and started offering MMS services. In 2004, the company started operating in Saudi Arabia and also bought a stake in Canar (a fixed-line operator in Sudan). In the following years, Etisalat started operating in Africa and Asia and became a significant network provider in the Middle East.

The CEO: Hatem Dowidar

Etisalat Corporation
Image Source: etisalat.com

Hatem Dowidar is the CEO of the Etisalat Corporation and he joined the company in 2015. He is also on the subsidiaries board in Pakistan, Morocco, and Egypt. Before joining Etisalat, Hatem has a working experience in Vodafone with 24years of experience in the telecommunication industry.  He completed his studies at Cairo University followed by American University in Cairo. Hatem came into Etisalat with a very rich experience and a very impressive track record.

Lam Research

Lam Research: The Innovative Journey of a Future-oriented Company.

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Innovation is what keeps a company to stay relevant to the changing market trends. This innovation keeps the company going and deal with high-pressure competition. Lam Research is a company that also believes in adapting the change and making use of the technology of the future. This very attitude has kept Lam Research stay on the top in the semiconductor market even after 30 years of its inception, and it has never failed to impress its clients with the innovation it brings for them.

Establishment of Lam Research

Lam Research is a leading semiconductor processing equipment design and manufacturing company. It serves the major semiconductor manufacturing businesses from all around the world. The major areas where the company serves, include the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company products involve the manufacturing of equipment for front-end wafer processing and back-end wafer-level packaging (WLP).

Lam Research company headquarter is located in Fremont in Silicon Valley, California. As of 2019, Lam Research made an annual revenue of US$ 9.65 billion, and around 10,700 employees are working for the company in its various branches in the world. Currently, Timothy M. Archer is serving Lam Research as the president and chief executive officer. Before that, he was working as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company.

Products from Lam Research

The company specializes in manufacturing thin film deposition, plasma etch, photoresist strip, etc., for the manufacturing of semiconductors. The company offers smart wafer processing solutions for the tine chips to be used in the transistor, interconnect, patterning, advanced memory, and packaging to sensors and transducers. The products made by the company are essentially used in mobile phones, computing devices, entertainment systems, and also in the new smart cars.

Lam Research
Image Source: twitter.com

The Back Story

David K. Lam founded Lam Research in 1980. Lam was working as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard when he thought of bringing better plasma etching equipment into the market at the time when the semiconductors were reducing in size. He was sceptical about his business plan, but Intel’s founder Bob Noyce helped him in raising the funds for the company.

The Company introduced its first automated polysilicon plasma etcher, AutoEtch 480, in 1981 and sold the first system in the January of the next year. Just four years of its inception, the company had its first IPO on NASDAQ, and it traded as LRCX. Though Lam was the founder of Lam Research, he left the company in 1985 and joined Link Technologies. During the late 80s and the beginning of the 90s, the company had started to expand overseas. The company established its factory units and customer support centers in countries like Taiwan, the U.S., China, Korea, Singapore, and Japan.

Lam Research also did some major acquisitions during the same time. It acquired the chip equipment manufacturing company, OnTrak Systems Inc., in 1997 by paying a sum of $225 Million. This acquisition helped the company grow even faster. In fact, the CEO of OnTrak Jim Bagley was also appointed the CEO of Lam Research in the same year. In the late 2000s, Lam Research made some powerful acquisitions, including Bullen Semiconducto (2005), SEZ (2008), and Novellus Systems (2011). Lam Research also made it to the Fortune 500 list in 2016.

Lam Research in 2017 established an investment firm named Lam Research Capital to enhance its investments in new companies.

The Founder: David K. Lam

Before becoming a famous entrepreneur in the U.S., David K. Lam had to wander around in various countries. He was born in Guangdong, China on 10 February 1943, but he spent most of his childhood in Cholon, South Vietnam. In the mid-50s, he, along with his family, moved to Hong Kong, where he joined Pui Ching Middle School.

To complete his further studies, Lam flew to Canada and attended the University of Toronto, and received a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science in Engineering Physics in 1967. He then completed an M.S. degree and an Sc.D. doctoral degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the 1970 and 1973, respectively. As soon he completed his education, he joined Texas Instruments and Hewlett-Packard. This was the same time when he thought of founding Lam Research. Currently, Lam is serving as the chairman of Multibeam Corporation.

Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria: The Major French Software Consulting Service Company.

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Sopra Steria Group is a France-based software consulting service company, with its service offices established in different parts of the world. With 50 plus years of experience, Sopra Steria has been offering its in-depth knowledge to companies that require software solutions for their growth. The company follows the motto of “Delivering Transformation Together” and has been making means of IT to offer its customers the best possible services. It is known for its IT consulting and management service along with its banking and HR software solutions.

A Brief Introduction

Sopra Steria is a management consulting and software solution firm that deals in three major categories; Sopra Steria Consulting, Sopra Banking Software, and Sopra HR software. The company has clients all over the world and has established dedicated offices in different parts of the globe to assist its international clients better. As of 2020, the recorded company revenue was €4.262 billion. The total number of employees working globally for the company is 46,000. The company’s headquarter is located in Paris, France.

The Foundational Story of Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria is a resultant of the merger of two big IT companies, Sopra and Steria. The merger took place in 2014, before that, Sopra was an independent IT service company founded in 1968. On the other hand, Steria also came into being in 1969, a year after Sopra.

After its inception in 1972, Sopra came with its first banking platform. Eventually, the platform became very popular and helped Sopra make its name in the IT service industry. In 1986, the company won a contract from the French Ministry of the Interior for another major IT project. In 1990, the company was listed on the Paris stock exchange. In the next ten years, Sopra started to expand to other countries, including the U.K., Germany, Italy, and Spain. During the same time, Sopra introduced its new and powerful management software known as EVOLAN suite.

Sopra Steria
Image Source: consultancy.uk

Starting from 2000, the company went on to acquire some of the consulting firms based in different countries to expand its operations. These firms include names like Orga Consultants, Inforsud Ingénierie, Viewlocity, Cyclone Commerce, and Tumbleweed Communications, etc. In 2005, Sopra established its various centers in Europe and India. In the year 2014, Sopra partnered with La Banque Postale to build a new revamped banking software.

The Back History of Steria

Steria as mentioned before was founded a year after Sopra. The company introduced its first software a text processing system in 1973, to enable Agence France-Presse to computerize its all operations. By the year 1981, the company had launched some other software as well including Minitel. With Steria’s automation project, the company entered into the transport and mobility industry in 1987.

In 1994, Steria created a banking system for the French banks to carry out interbank payments. The company entered the Indian market after it acquired the IIS Infotech based in Delhi in 1997. In 1999, Steria went public on the Paris stock exchange. The year 2000 onwards were great for the company as it acquired a few major consulting businesses in France, including Experian, Tecsi, Equip. Its international acquisitions of that time include Mummert Consulting, Newell & Budge, Xansa, and PROFit. Steria, in 2007, won the biggest national project from the French Ministry of Finance.

The Merger

On 8 April 2014, Sopra and Steria announced that they have come together to form the Sopra Steria Group. The two announced that both have joined their hands as they intend to become the European leader in digital services. The merger was completed on 31 December 2014. The deal was the exchange of one Sopra share for four Steria shares, and the group ultimately was called the Sopra Steria Group.

The CEO: Vincent Paris

Vincent Paris is serving as the CEO of Sopra Steria Group. He has a long history with the Sopra Group, as he joined the Sopra Group in 1987, soon after he graduated from the prestigious École Polytechnique. Since then, Paris has served the company in several different leadership positions. Before becoming the CEO of Sopra Steria Group, he handled the important posts of Director of French operations and Deputy CEO of Sopra. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the company for the past ten years.

ROHM

ROHM: The Resistor Pioneer and Leader of the Semiconductor Industry.

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ROHM is a well-known semiconductor industry leader with its roots in Japan. The company started its journey by registering its first patent for a breakthrough utility model called a ‘parallel lead-type fixed resistor’ in 1958, and today it is credited for hundreds of such patents. The company has covered a huge gap so far, and presently, it is one of the major manufacturers and marketers of semiconductor products. Today, the company is expanded to most of the major countries in the world, and as of 2017, 21,308 employees are working for the company globally.

Establishment of ROHM

Initially, ROHM Semiconductors started as Toyo Electronics Industry Corporation, a small electronic parts manufacturing company, in 1958. The company was founded by Kenichiro Sato in Japan. Toyo Electronics was into manufacturing resistors, transistors, and other electronic equipment.

In 1962, ROHM started to manufacture the automatic resistor assembly machine in-house, and the next year, it started to market and develop metal-firm resistors. In 1966, the company was rebranded as ROHM Wako Co., Ltd. With the new name, the company started to manufacture transistors and switching diode, and by the end of the 60s, it also began to work on ICs. The company established its other divisions, including ROHM Apollo Co., Ltd., and ROHM Logistec Co., Ltd., to focus on the new technologies coming.

In 1970, ROHM became the first company in Japan to establish a subsidiary in the U.S. The company started its sales office and an IC design center in Silicon Valley. The said center became the place for the company where it was doing the research work and was developing the ICs. After this expansion, ROHM also entered Asian countries like South Korea, Hong Kong and established ROHM Electronics Asia Pte. Ltd. ROHM also began to invest in LEDs, square-plante chip resistors, rectifying diodes, and network resistors in the same decade.

ROHM
Image Source: upload.wikimedia.org

In 1981, the name of the company was officially changed from Toyo Electronics Industry Corporation to ROHM Co., Ltd. The company also published the “Asian Music”, where it recorded tapes of all volumes. In 1983, the company was listed on the Osaka Security Exchange for the first time. The arrival of Zener diodes and digital transistors in the mid-80s provided ROHM to explore new opportunities.

ROHM became the first company in the world to successfully complete its experiments using the laser diodes with MBE methodology, in 1984. The next year, the company developed its first 4-bit and 8-bit microcontrollers using original CPUs. In 1986, the company listed on the First Section of the Osaka Stock Exchange, and in 1989, it was listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It also established the Research and Development Center in 1986. By this time, the company was working on new memory ICs, capacitors as well as liquid crystal process technology. It also established a manufacturing plant in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, the U.K., and Taiwan by the end of the decade.

Growth of the Company

In 1991, the company launched the ROHM Music Foundation. In the next two years, the company was making and marketing the large size LCD public displays and had obtained the ISO9001 certification. In 1995, ROHM partnered with Zycad Corporation of the United States to develop a 100,000 gate FPGA using flash technology. The company opened the VLSI Research Center in 1998. The same year, ROHM started to develop the Dual-Cell system EEPROM and highly reliable Schottky barrier diodes. In 1999, ROHM established its technology centers in Kyoto and Hong Kong. It also started to develop ICs for mobile phones in the same year.

In 2000, ROHM came with a revolutionary concept in system LSI design technology, named REAL SOCKET™, and established the Europe Technology Center. In 2003, the company brought a new platform design environment for the system LSI, naming it the REAL PLATFORM, and in 2006, the company developed the ultra-compact LED “PICOLEDTM. It introduced the world’s first IEEE802.1X-compatible baseband IC for wireless LAN applications in 2007.

In 2010, ROHM introduced the world’s first laser diode to control the beam direction. The next year, the company entered the Indian and the Brazilian markets. In 2012, ROHM was mass-producing the full SiC power modules, LDO regulators, the world’s smallest transistor package, and the industry’s first SiC MOS module with no Schottky barrier diode. In 2013, ROHM partnered with Intel to build a low power consumption power management IC to be used in Intel’s next-generation Atom™ processors.

In the next five years, ROHM developed the industry’s smallest transistors, the first Wi-SUN-compatible universal wireless communication module, the world’s first automotive LDO regulators, and the world’s first trench-type SiC MOSFET.

The Founder: Kenichiro Sato

ROHM was founded by Kenichiro Sato in 1958 in Japan. Sato was born in Tokyo and completed his education at Ritsumeikan University. During his studies, he got to know about resistors and decided to start a resistor manufacturing company. So, he founded the company as Toyo Denki Seisakusho in Kyoto in 1958, while he was still a student.

Apart from making resistors and transistors, Sato was fond of music and was a trained pianist. He even established a music school in 1991 to promote classical music. Sato died at the age of 88 in 2020 after suffering from a long-going illness.

The CEO: Isao Matsumoto

Isao Matsumoto is the serving President and Chief Executive Officer of ROHM as of 2020. Matsumoto had joined the company in 1985 and has been working in different positions and roles for the past 35 years. Before becoming the CEO, he was working as the Director and the Managing Executive Officer of ROHM. He has also been a member of the ROHM board for past many years.