Congratulations to Coherent (Santa Clara, CA), as this year marks the 50th anniversary of its founding. Started by Jim Hobart and five others in a Palo Alto, CA, laundry room, the company went on to become a world leader in laser technology.
In celebration of the company’s 25th anniversary, writing in a 1991 profile in Industrial Laser Review (now Industrial Laser Solutions), we cited their “reputation in laser processing applications such as garment cutting, ceramic scribing, die-board cutting, and cigarette paper perforating, which had made them the premier supplier of low- to medium-power CO2 lasers and systems.” And we went on to say, “The company occupies a dominant position among the world’s suppliers of CO2 lasers, with more than 2500 units installed.”
That was then, and this is now. CEO John Ambroseo says, “Over our company’s 50-year history, we’ve seen the laser mature from a ‘solution in search of a problem’ to a widely used tool, employed in areas as diverse as microelectronics fabrication, biomedicine, scientific research, and heavy industry. Across all these disciplines, there is a common drive to increase productivity and the quality of results, while simultaneously enabling even more technological advances.”
“I attribute a large part of Coherent’s success to our ability to deliver a broad array of laser technologies in highly optimized, applications-specific formats. By optimized, I’m referring to the performance, reliability, and cost-of-ownership characteristics necessary to make them practical, cost-effective tools for use in both production and research environments. This focus on delivering superior performance and reliability has made us a technology leader, and kept us at the forefront of our markets. It’s a remarkable achievement and a lasting testament to the creativity and dedication of our employees, as well as the loyalty of our valued customers across the globe. That said, I am certain that our best years are still ahead of us.”