johnson & johnson johnson & johnson johnson & johnson (j&j) is an american multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. its common stock is a component of the dow jones industrial average, and the company is ranked no. 36 on the 2021 fortune 500 list of the largest united states corporations by total revenue. johnson & johnson is one of the world's most valuable companies, and is one of only two u.s.-based companies that has a prime credit rating of aaa, higher than that of the united states government. johnson & johnsonheadquarters at one johnson and johnson plaza in new brunswick, new jerseytypepublictraded asnyse: jnjdjia components&p 100 components&p 500 componentisinus4781601046industrypharmaceuticalmedical technologyconsumer healthcarefoundedjanuary 1886 (1886-01) in new brunswick, new jersey, united statesfoundersrobert wood johnson ijames wood johnsonedward mead johnsonheadquartersjohnson and johnson plaza, new brunswick, new jersey, u.s.40°29′55″n 74°26′37″warea servedworldwidekey peoplejoaquin duato(chairman & ceo)productslist of johnson & johnson products and servicesrevenue us$94.94 billion (2022)operating income us$21.73 billion (2022)net income us$17.94 billion (2022)total assets us$187.4 billion (2022)total equity us$76.80 billion (2022)number of employees 155,800 (january 2023)subsidiariesacclarentactelioncilagdepuy synthesethiconjanssen biotechjanssen pharmaceuticalsjanssen vaccinesjohnson & johnson visionmcneil consumer healthcarementorsynthestibotecwebsitejnj.comfootnotes / references johnson & johnson is headquartered in new brunswick, new jersey, the consumer division being located in skillman, new jersey. the corporation includes some 250 subsidiary companies with operations in 60 countries and products sold in over 175 countries. johnson & johnson had worldwide sales of $93.8 billion during the calendar year 2021. johnson & johnson's brands include numerous household names of medications and first aid supplies. among its well-known consumer products are the band-aid brand line of bandages, tylenol medications, johnson's baby products, neutrogena skin and beauty products, clean & clear facial wash and acuvue contact lenses. johnson & johnson's pharmaceutical arm is janssen pharmaceuticals. the company announced in november 2021 that it would split into two publicly traded companies: one focused on consumer products and the other on pharmaceuticals and medical technologies. history 1873–1885: before johnson & johnson robert wood johnson began his professional training at age 16 as a pharmaceutical apprentice at an apothecary run by his mother's cousin, james g. wood, in poughkeepsie, new york.: 12 johnson co-founded his own company with george seabury in 1873. the new york-based seabury & johnson became known for its medicated plasters.: 675 : 15 robert wood johnson represented the company at the 1876 world's fair. there he heard joseph lister's explanation of a new procedure: antiseptic surgery.: 31 johnson parted ways with his business partner seabury in 1885.: 38 1886: founding of johnson & johnson robert wood johnson early corrosive sublimate cotton packaging with the signature logo robert wood johnson joined his brothers, james wood johnson and edward mead johnson, and created a line of ready-to-use sterile surgical dressings in 1886. they founded johnson & johnson in 1886: 675 : 38 with 14 employees, eight women and six men.: 43 they manufactured sterile surgical supplies, household products, and medical guides. those products initially featured a logo that resembled the signature of james wood johnson, very similar to the current logo. robert wood johnson served as the first president of the company.: 675 1887–1942: early history the company sold medicated plasters such as johnson & johnson's black perfect taffeta court plaster and also manufactured the world's first sterile surgical products, including sutures, absorbent cotton, and gauze. the company published "modern methods of antiseptic wound treatment", a guide on how to do sterile surgery using its products, and in 1888, distributed 85,000 copies to doctors and pharmacists across the united states.: 3–99 the manual was translated into three languages and distributed worldwide. the first commercial first aid kit was designed in 1888 to support railroad construction workers, who were often hundreds of miles from medical care. the kits included antiseptic emergency supplies and directions for field use. in 1901, the company published the handbook of first aid, a guide on applying first aid. in 1889, the company hired pharmacist fred kilmer as its first scientific director, who led its scientific research and wrote educational manuals. kilmer's first achievement as scientific director was developing the industrial sterilization process. he was employed at the company until 1934. johnson & johnson had more than 400 employees and 14 buildings by 1894. in 1894, the company began producing johnson's baby powder, the company's first baby product. the company introduced the world's first maternity kit in 1894 to aid at-home births. the kit contained antiseptic soap, sanitary napkins, umbilical tape, and johnson's baby powder. the products were later marketed separately, including "lister's towels", the world's first mass-produced sanitary napkins. kilmer wrote "hygiene in maternity", an instructional guide for mothers before and after delivery. in 1904, the company expanded its baby care products with "lister's sanitary diapers", a diaper product for infants. during the spanish–american war, johnson & johnson developed and donated 300,000 packaged compressed surgical dressings for soldiers in the field: 78 and created a trauma stretcher for field medics. the company donated its products in disaster relief efforts of the 1900 galveston hurricane: 79 and the 1906 san francisco earthquake.: 81 johnson & johnson vaccinated all of its employees against smallpox during the 1901 smallpox epidemic. the firm employed more than 1,200 people by 1910. women accounted for half of the company's workforce and led a quarter of its departments. robert wood johnson died in 1910, and he was succeeded as president of the company by his brother james wood johnson.: 195 during world war i, johnson & johnson factories increased production to meet wartime demands for sterile surgical products. in 1916, the company acquired chicopee manufacturing company in chicopee falls, massachusetts, to meet demand.: 129 near the end of world war i, the 1918 flu pandemic broke out. the company invented and distributed an epidemic mask that helped prevent the spread of the flu. in 1919, johnson & johnson opened the gilmour plant near montreal, its first factory outside of the united states, which produced surgical products for international customers. in 1924 the company's first overseas manufacturing facility was opened in slough, england. in 1920, earle dickson combined two johnson & johnson products, adhesive tape and gauze, to create the first commercial adhesive bandage. band-aid brand adhesive bandages began sales the following year. in 1921, the company released johnson's baby soap. named after its massachusetts facility, johnson & johnson built a textile mill and company town, chicopee, outside of gainesville, georgia.: 170 in the 1930s, the company expanded operations to argentina, brazil, mexico, and south africa. in 1931, johnson & johnson introduced the first prescription contraceptive gel marketed as ortho-gynol. robert wood johnson ii became president of the company in 1932.: 195 during the great depression johnson & johnson kept all its workers employed and raised wages by five percent.: 191 in 1933, robert wood johnson ii wrote a letter to franklin d. roosevelt, calling for a federal law to increase wages and reduce hours for all american workers.: 199 the company also opened a new facility in chicago during that period.: 191 johnson wrote and distributed "try reality: a discussion of hours, wages, and the industrial future" to persuade business leaders to follow his lead, advocating that business is more than profit and that companies have responsibilities to consumers, employees, and society. in "try reality", the section titled "an industrial philosophy" would later become the company's credo.: 224 in 1935, johnson's baby oil was added to its line of baby products. both male and female johnson & johnson employees were drafted and enlisted during world war ii. the company ensured no one would lose their job when they returned home. robert wood johnson ii was appointed head of the smaller war plants corporation in washington, d.c. his work ensured u.s. factories with under 500 employees were awarded government contracts. 1943: credo and going public in 1943, as the company was preparing for its initial public offering (ipo), robert wood johnson wrote what the company would call, "our credo", a defining document that has been used to guide the company's decisions over the years. the company completed its ipo and became a public company in 1944. in 1943, vesta stoudt identified a need for waterproof tape for ammunition boxes in world war two. she wrote to franklin d. roosevelt with the idea; the president commissioned revolite, a subsidiary of johnson & johnson at the time, to develop and manufacture a cloth-based adhesive tape. 1944-1999: acquisitions and international expansion in 1944, the company began selling johnson's baby lotion. the same year, the company established ethicon suture laboratories. in 1947, g. f. merson ltd. was acquired to expand the company’s suture business in the united kingdom. the company was rebranded and absorbed into ethicon. johnson & johnson chairman of the board robert wood johnson published or forfeit freedom in 1947. the book outlined that businesses need to develop sustainable methods of using natural resources for the future of business and the planet. in 1955, ethicon developed a micro point reverse--‐cutting ophthalmic needle attached to the suture. micro-point surgical needles and sutures allowed for advances in modern vision surgery. in 1956, the company open its first asia-based operating company in the philippines. the following year, an operating company opened in india. in 1959, johnson & johnson acquired mcneil laboratories. a year later, the company sold tylenol for the first time without a prescription. in the same year, cilag chemie joined johnson & johnson as cilag. in 1961, janssen pharmaceutica was acquired by johnson & johnson. janssen pharmaceutica was founded in 1953 by belgian scientist dr. paul janssen. in 1963, philip b. hofmann succeeded robert wood johnson as chairman and ceo. he was the first non-johnson family member to become chief executive. hofmann also helped found the robert wood johnson foundation. in the same year, the food and drug administration approved a synthetic hormone contraceptive pill, ortho-novum. in 1965, johnson & johnson acquired codman & shurtleff. the acquired company produced neurovascular devices and neurosurgery technologies. in 1968, the company developed the rhogam vaccine. the vaccine prevented rh hemolytic disease in newborns. in 1969, ortho diagnostics, a company subsidiary, launched the sickledex tube test for detecting anemia. the same year, the fda approved the johnson & johnson arterial graft. in 1971, the company launched hapindex diagnostic test, a rapid hepatitis b test for blood donors. the test was developed to prevent the spread of hepatitis b through blood transfusions. in 1973, richard sellars became chairman and ceo of johnson & johnson. in 1976, james e. burke became the company’s chairman and ceo. during burke’s tenure, he managed the 1982 tylenol tampering incident. it became a case study on crisis management. under his leadership, the company recalled 31 million bottles of tylenol, relaunched the product with a triple tamper-evident seal, and urged consumers not to use if tampered with. these practices became the pharmaceutical and packaged food industry norm. johnson & johnson opened operating companies in china and egypt in 1985. in 1987, acuvue contact lenses became the first disposable contact lenses available to consumers. the lenses lasted up to one week, reducing the cost of contact lenses. in the same year, the company launched one touch, a blood glucose monitoring system. in 1989, ralph s. larsen was appointed chairman and ceo of the company. after the dissolution of the soviet union, johnson & johnson expanded into eastern europe. by 1991, the company had a presence in hungary, russia, the czech republic, and poland. in the 1990s, the company acquired many familiar consumer health brands that made up the johnson & johnson family of companies. these acquisitions included clean & clear, neutrogena, motrin, and aveeno. johnson & johnson opened an operating company in israel in 1996. in 1997, johnson & johnson acquired biosense webster. depuy was acquired by johnson & johnson in 1998, rolling it into the medtech business group. 2000-present william c. weldon was appointed chairman and ceo of the company in 2002. in 2003, ethicon launched vicryl plus antibacterial sutures. the products prevent post-surgery infection within stitches. in 2006, johnson & johnson acquired pfizer's consumer healthcare business and merged it with its consumer healthcare business group. the acquisition added brands like listerine, bengay, and neosporin to the company’s portfolio. in the same year, johnson & johnson’s janssen pharmaceuticals, launched prezista, a protease inhibitor for patients with