X-Rite, Inc. is a manufacturer of color measurement and management products, located in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
, United States.
The company also creates products that regulate quality in the processing of film and
x-ray
An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...
s.
History
The firm was incorporated in 1958 by seven engineers from
Lear Siegler
Lear Siegler Incorporated (LSI) is a diverse American corporation established in 1962. Its products range from car seats and brakes to weapons control systems for military fighter planes. The company's more than $2 billion-a-year annual sales come ...
. Its first product,
x-ray marking tape, was introduced in 1968 and is the basis of the company name. In 1975, it introduced its first
densitometer
A densitometer is a device that measures the degree of darkness (the optical density) of a photographic or semitransparent material or of a reflecting surface. The densitometer is basically a light source aimed at a photoelectric cell. It determ ...
for photographic printing use.
The firm went public in 1986, and in 1987 moved into a new headquarters and production facility in Grandville, Michigan.
By 1990, the firm shifted emphasis to the field of
color measurement
Colorimetry is "the science and technology used to quantify and describe physically the human color perception".
It is similar to spectrophotometry, but is distinguished by its interest in reducing spectra to the physical correlates of color ...
. In 1966 it purchased H. Miller Graphic Arts of England; in 2006 it purchased
Amazys, owners of
Gretag–Macbeth and thereby the
Munsell Munsell may refer to:
* Albert Henry Munsell (1858–1918), American painter, teacher of art, and the inventor of the Munsell color system
* Harvey M. Munsell, American soldier in the Civil War.
*Munsell Color Company
*Munsell color system
In c ...
products; in 2007 it acquired
Pantone
Pantone LLC (stylized as PANTONE) is a limited liability company headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, notably graphic ...
, Inc.
In 2012 the firm was acquired by
Danaher Corporation
Danaher Corporation is an American globally diversified conglomerate with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The company designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services. The company's ...
.
Subsidiaries
*
Munsell Color
*
Pantone
Pantone LLC (stylized as PANTONE) is a limited liability company headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, notably graphic ...
, Inc.
*X-Rite AG
*X-Rite Asia Pacific Limited (Hong Kong)
*X-Rite Global, Inc.
*X-Rite GmbH (Germany)
*X-Rite Holdings, Inc.
*X-Rite International, Inc. (Barbados)
*X-Rite Ltd. (U.K.)
*X-Rite MA, Incorporated
*X-Rite Mediterranee SARL (France)
*XR Ventures LLC
References
External links
*
Electronics companies of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq
Electronics companies established in 1958
1958 establishments in Michigan
1980s initial public offerings
2012 mergers and acquisitions
Danaher subsidiaries
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