Shimadzu U.S.A. Manufacturing, Inc

More than twenty years ago, Shimadzu had a vision: to establish a state-of-the-art manufacturing center in the United States. One that would deliver speed and American ingenuity to Shimadzu instruments and provide customers with the very best Shimadzu has to offer. That vision became Shimadzu U.S.A. Manufacturing, Inc., (SUM), which began operation in Canby, Oregon in 1997.

SUM made its first shipment in January 1998 and at the time employed 51 people and manufactured eight products. In its first ten years, SUM expanded to nearly 100 employees and more than 30 products, and shipped more than 55,000 units to locations worldwide.

Those first ten years were just a start. In 2011, Shimadzu announced plans to double the size of their 54,000 square foot plant and invest more than $5 million. In addition to manufacturing space, expansions also took place in the precision machine shop that supplies very precise components for the analytical and clinical instruments that are manufactured.

In 2014, Shimadzu USA Manufacturing Inc. was one of four businesses honored by the Oregon Consular Corps for its outstanding contributions in international trade. According to Economic Development Director, Renate Mengelberg, Shimadzu is an innovative company that embraces world-class manufacturing principles, provides an excellent work environment for its employees, and is one of the most productive and profitable plants in the worldwide organization.

In total, over the years, Shimadzu has invested about $35 million in physical expansions and the local economy. They also maintain a process called localization, in which they use as much local supply, material, and services as possible. This helps to reduce inventory as well as the overall product cost, while making them a bigger part of the community.

Now 20+ years later, SUM manufactures HPLC/UHPLC, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS, and other instruments for export to Europe, China, Australia, South America, and Singapore. The company also sells Canby-made products to customers in the U.S. and Canada.