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| Hach Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hach Company |
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder | Clifford Hach, Kathryn Hach |
| Headquarters | Loveland, Colorado, United States |
| Products | Water quality analyzers, reagents, sensors, test kits, software |
| Parent | Danaher Corporation (acquired 1999) |
| Employees | ~1,400 (estimate) |
Hach Company
Hach Company is an American firm specializing in analytical instruments and reagents for water quality testing. Founded in 1947 by chemists Clifford Hach and Kathryn Hach, the company became known for colorimetry kits and portable instrumentation adopted across municipal, industrial, environmental, and laboratory settings. Its portfolio supports utilities, manufacturers, academic laboratories, and international aid organizations working on potable water, wastewater, and process control.
Clifford Hach and Kathryn Hach established the company in 1947 in Ames, Iowa, initially producing simple colorimetric nitrate test kits used by practitioners influenced by standards from American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and United States Public Health Service. Early expansion paralleled post‑World War II infrastructure projects such as the Interstate Highway System and urban water treatment efforts like the construction of the Hoover Dam-era municipal systems. In the 1960s the firm moved operations to Loveland, Colorado and broadened offerings amid regulatory changes driven by the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Throughout the late 20th century Hach introduced bench and field instrumentation that aligned with method development at agencies including the United States Environmental Protection Agency and standards bodies like ISO and EPA Method 353.2. In 1999 the company was acquired by Danaher Corporation, integrating into a corporate family alongside firms such as Beckman Coulter and Leica Biosystems. Under Danaher, the company pursued acquisitions and collaborations with technology firms and expanded global distribution networks across regions represented by organizations like the World Health Organization and United Nations Development Programme.
Hach produces colorimetric and turbidimetric test kits, spectrophotometers, portable meters, online monitoring instruments, digital sensors, and associated reagents and standards. Flagship items have included portable spectrophotometers used in contexts from United States Geological Survey field campaigns to industrial process monitoring at multinational corporations, and online analyzers integrated into treatment plants modeled on systems used by utilities such as Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Services encompass method validation, instrument calibration, technical training, and laboratory accreditation support referenced to bodies like National Institute of Standards and Technology and Association of Analytical Communities. Customers range from municipal agencies like the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to industrial clients in sectors exemplified by ExxonMobil, DuPont, and Coca‑Cola Company.
Technology development at the firm bridged classical wet chemistry with electronic instrumentation and software. Innovations included microprocessor‑controlled spectrophotometry, patented reagent formulations for improved stability, and online sensor networks compatible with supervisory control systems used by operators of Hoover Dam‑style infrastructure. The company contributed to standard methods adopted by EPA and ASTM International and advanced interfaces for laboratory information management systems similar to platforms from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Agilent Technologies. Collaboration with academic groups at institutions such as Colorado State University and Iowa State University supported research into nutrient chemistry, while partnerships with equipment manufacturers like Emerson Electric and Siemens enabled integration into process automation architectures.
Headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, the company maintains manufacturing and R&D centers across North America and sales, service, and distribution offices covering Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Regional hubs coordinate with national utilities and regulators including the European Commission agencies and national ministries modeled after Ministry of Health (Japan) or Ministry of Environment (Brazil). Global logistics align with supply chains used by multinational manufacturers such as 3M and General Electric for reagent distribution and instrument calibration. The company has served disaster relief and development projects implemented by agencies like USAID and UNICEF to support emergency water testing.
As a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, the company operates within a business system that includes centralized functions for finance, legal, and corporate strategy akin to structures in conglomerates such as Honeywell International. Management has historically reported through Danaher’s water quality segment alongside sister companies that provide complementary analytical and life‑science instruments. Governance follows corporate practices aligned with listings and investor communications norms observed by firms like General Electric Company and Johnson & Johnson.
The company is positioned among leading suppliers in water analysis alongside competitors such as Hanna Instruments, Thermo Fisher Scientific, YSI Incorporated, and METTLER TOLEDO. Markets served include municipal water utilities, industrial process control in sectors represented by BASF and ArcelorMittal, environmental monitoring programs run by entities like the Environmental Protection Agency (United States), and academic research at universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley. Sales channels combine direct contracts with large utilities, distribution partnerships with regional suppliers, and e‑commerce platforms similar to those used by Fisher Scientific.
Products and methodologies support compliance with regulations and guidelines from organizations including the United States Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization, European Environment Agency, and national ministries. The company’s reagents and consumables generate chemical waste streams managed under disposal frameworks comparable to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act implementations, and manufacturing practices follow environmental management systems such as ISO 14001. Through participation in standards committees and industry consortia, the company influences analytical methods used for pollutant monitoring and public health surveillance coordinated by agencies like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Category:Companies based in Colorado Category:Water treatment