Watkins-Johnson Company Explained

Watkins-Johnson Company
Type:	Subsidiary
Fate:	Acquired by TriQuint Semiconductor
Foundation:	1957
Founder:	Dean A. Watkins, H. Richard Johnson
Key People:	W. Keith Kennedy (former CEO)
Location:	Palo Alto, California
Industry:	Electronics
Successor:	WJ Communications Inc.

Watkins-Johnson Company was a designer and manufacturer of electronic devices, systems, and equipment. The company, commonly referred to as "W-J", was formed in 1957 by Dean A. Watkins and H. Richard Johnson, and was headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Its products included microwave tubes, followed by solid-state microwave devices, electronic warfare subsystems and systems, receiving equipment, antennas, furnaces and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and automated test equipment.^{[1] [2]}

History

Partial Corporate Timeline

• December 1957: Watkins-Johnson Company was founded^[3]
• June 1963: Acquired Stewart Engineering Company, a manufacturer of backward-wave oscillators
• Fall 1967: Acquired Communication Electronics, Inc. (CEI) of Rockville, Maryland, producer of receivers and related equipment
• June 1968: Listed on New York Stock Exchange
• 1970: Acquired RELCOM, manufacturer of electronic components such as mixers
• 1970: Acquired antenna product line from Granger Associates
• 1978: Opened plant in San Jose, California
• April 1995: Microwave surveillance systems unit sold to Condor Systems, Inc.^[4]
• October 1997: Military devices and subsystem businesses sold to Stellex Industries^{[5] [6]}
• July 1999: Semiconductor Equipment Group sold to Silicon Valley Group
• August 1999: Telecommunications Group sold to Marconi North America^[7]
• October 1999: Wireless Products Group sold to Fox-Paine and Company^[8]
• August 2000: Initial Public Offering of WJ Communications, W-J successor, by Fox-Paine on NASDAQ^[9]
• March 2008: WJ Communications acquired by TriQuint Semiconductor^{[10] [11] [12]}

The Watkins-Johnson plant in Scotts Valley, California was discovered to have soil and groundwater contamination in 1984. It was added to the EPA's Superfund list in 1990.^[13]

External links

• Watkins-Johnson history site
• W-J Tech Notes archive

Notes and References

1. Web site: Watkins-Johnson Company History. Funding Universe. 3 January 2013.
2. Book: Kenney, Martin. Understanding Silicon Valley: The Anatomy of an Entrepreneurial Region. 2000. Stanford University Press. Stanford, CA. 0804737347. 57–58.
3. Book: O'Laughlin, Terry. H. Richard Johnson, in 'Memorial Tributes: Volume 20'. 978-0-309-43729-5. 10.17226/23394. National Academies Press. 9 November 2016. 2016.
4. Web site: Condor Systems, Inc. Purchases Microwave Surveillance Systems Unit from Watkins-Johnson. Business Wire. The Free Library. 3 January 2013.
5. News: Watkins-Johnson to Sell Military Related Divisions. 3 January 2013. The New York Times. 3 September 1997.
6. News: Watkins-Johnson Sells Division to Stellex. 3 January 2013. The New York Times. 1 November 1997.
7. News: Watkins-Johnson Selling a Unit to G.E.C. of Britain. 3 January 2013. The New York Times. 19 August 1999.
8. News: Fox-Paine to Buy Watkins-Johnson for $270 Million. 3 January 2013. The New York Times. 27 October 1999.
9. Web site: WJ Communications Inc (WJCI) IPO. NASDAQ. 3 January 2013.
10. Web site: Watkins-Johnson's legacy sold for $1 a share. siliconbeat. 3 January 2013.
11. Web site: WJ's Heritage. TriQuint Semiconductor. 3 January 2013.
12. Web site: TriQuint Acquires Ailing WJ Communications. Seeking Alpha. 10 March 2008 . 3 January 2013.
13. Web site: Superfund - Site Overviews - Watkins-Johnson Company (Stewart Division). epa.gov. US Environmental Protection Agency. 9 September 2017.