Medline: Timeline of Events:
1910: A.L. Mills opens Northwestern Garment Factory in Chicago, manufacturing heavy-duty aprons for stockyard butchers.
1912: A.L. Mills shifts the business focus to medical workers, transforming it into Mills Hospital Supply and producing nurses' uniforms and surgical gowns for local hospitals.
Early Years (Post-1912): Mills Hospital Supply gains a reputation for quality and reliability within Chicago's medical community.
Around 1920s-1950s: Irving Mills, A.L.'s son, joins the business at age 12, takes over at 18, and expands Mills Hospital Supply beyond uniforms to a broader range of medical supplies. He pioneers creative distribution solutions like consignment shipping to remote areas. The company expands regionally with branch offices in Houston, Norfolk, and Columbus.
1961: Irving Mills sells Mills Hospital Supply to Cenco Scientific.
1966: Irving Mills' sons, Jim and Jon Mills, found Medline Industries, Inc. in Evanston, Illinois, with Irving's guidance. Jim becomes CEO and Jon becomes President.
1967: Medline earns approximately $1 million in revenue in its first year, primarily as a distributor.
1968: Medline opens its first manufacturing facility, a textile plant in Covington, Indiana, to produce gauze, gowns, and bed linens.
1972: Medline expands beyond textiles by acquiring an injection-moulding company, renamed Dynacor, to manufacture plastic medical goods. Medline goes public on the stock market.
1977: The Mills family buys back all public shares, and Medline becomes a private company again.
Late 1970s: Medline develops a reputation for offering quality products at lower prices, facing some scepticism about the quality of inexpensive goods.
1979: Medline launches a glossy, unconventional product catalogue resembling a fashion magazine, significantly boosting textile sales.
1984: Medline becomes the second-largest medical supply distributor in the US, with approximately $120 million in annual sales. The company opens a large headquarters, manufacturing plant, and distribution centre in Mundelein, Illinois.
1980s: The healthcare landscape shifts with the emergence of AIDS and increased focus on infection control and waste reduction, driving demand for disposable medical products.
January 1990: Medline launches a dedicated Sterile Procedure Tray (SPT) division to supply pre-packaged sterile kits.
Early 1990s: Medline operates four manufacturing plants across the US and an assembly facility in Mexico, along with 14 distribution centres. The consignment shipping program evolves into a formal program called ACCESS.
1993: Medline secures a five-year agreement to supply the U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide.
1996: A former vice president alleges Medline violated the federal False Claims Act regarding the sourcing and quality of products supplied to the VA.
1997: Medline settles the False Claims Act case for $6.4 million without admitting wrongdoing. Jim and Jon Mills hand over day-to-day leadership to their sons, Charlie Mills (CEO) and Andy Mills (President), with Jim Abrams (COO).
Late 1990s: Medline becomes the largest privately held medical supply manufacturer in America. Healthcare providers face pressure to cut costs, leading Medline to focus on value-driven products and services. Medline partners with Neoforma.com, an online marketplace.
1999: Medline purchases the exam glove division of Kendall Healthcare (Tyco International).
Around 2000: Medline products increasingly originate from customer feedback, leading to innovations like advanced wound dressings (e.g., silver-infused bandages).
2000: Medline breaks ground on a new corporate headquarters in Northfield, Illinois, and acquires additional manufacturing space in Alabama.
September 11, 2001: The terrorist attacks lead to a surge in demand for personal protective equipment, with Medline's glove sales spiking.
End of 2001: Medline's annual sales reach $1.2 billion. The company secures a major contract to supply Ascension Health.
2007: Medline acquires the CURAD® first-aid brand, entering the retail market and selling to drugstores and supermarkets.
2009: Medline launches the Pink Glove Dance campaign for breast cancer awareness, which goes viral.
2011: Medline introduces the BioMask, the first FDA-cleared antiviral face mask in the U.S., under the Curad brand. Medline formally establishes Medline Europe, headquartered in the Netherlands.
2010s: Medline accelerates its international expansion, establishing operations in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.
By 2014: Medline has a major European distribution hub in Kleve, Germany, which begins a significant expansion.
2018: Medline acquires Asid Bonz, a German medical supply firm. Medline launches a $1.5 billion Healthcare Resilience Initiative to strengthen its supply chain.
2020: Medline reports over $17 billion in annual revenue and is the largest private medical supply firm in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic puts unprecedented strain on global supply chains, including Medline's, despite its efforts to stockpile inventory.
Mid-2021: Medline has opened five new large distribution centres and increased on-hand inventory significantly as part of its resilience strategy.
June 2021: Medline announces a majority investment from private equity firms Blackstone, Carlyle, and Hellman & Friedman, valuing the company at around $34 billion. The Mills family retains a significant share and leadership remains in place.
End of 2022: Medline has over 50 distribution centres in North America (including a flagship facility in Grayslake, IL) and more than 20 manufacturing plants on the continent.
2023: Charlie Mills, Andy Mills, and Jim Abrams retire from their executive management roles and move to the Board of Directors. Jim Boyle becomes CEO and Jim Pigott becomes President/COO.
2024: Medline's supply chain is recognised as "Best in Business" for reliability and innovation. Medline continues to invest in technology and expands its product offerings, reaching over 125 countries.
