WORLD LEADER IN MEDICAL DEVICES

Generating annual revenue of over $16 billion, Becton Dickinson chose in 2016 to set up its European headquarters in the Canton of Vaud. The giant employs over 250 highly skilled people and is a leading player in Health Valley.

The US company has been innovating in medicine for more than a century. For example, it is famous for inventing the insulin syringe. Founded in 1897 in New Jersey in the United States, the company currently has 65,000 employees across over 190 countries worldwide. Two years ago, it set up its headquarters for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in the Canton of Vaud. This decision was driven by the acquisition of CareFusion, another American medical supplies provider, whose regional office was located in Rolle. “We wanted to harness the best practices at both companies,” says Roland Goette, BD’s Executive Vice President for the EMEA region. “We had lots of options when deciding where to set up our European headquarters. The Canton of Vaud emerged as the obvious choice.” Setting up offices at the Terre Bonne Business Park In Eysins led to the creation of about 100 new jobs.

A new acquisition

In 2018, BD acquired the US medical technology company Bard for $24 billion. Bard’s strong product portfolio and innovation pipeline increase BD’s opportunities in highgrowth clinical segments, especially peripheral vascular therapy, oncology and bio-surgery,” Mr Goette says. With this acquisition, almost 16,000 people have joined
the medical technology giant. The deal gives a glimpse of new opportunities to strengthen BD’s leading position in medication management and infection prevention. The company’s European headquarters now has over 250 employees. “The Canton of Vaud is the perfect fit for us with its extensive collaboration between universities and research companies, and access to a pool of highly skilled talent. Its central location in Europe, vastly developed and efficient infrastructure, multilingualism, along with a stable, convertible currency make the region a good choice for a company like ours.”