User:Harbor scribe/VICI Valco Instruments Co. Inc.

VICI Valco Instruments Co. Inc.

Valco Instruments Co. Inc. (VICI), founded by Stan Stearns in 1968, has been a leading designer and manufacturer of valves and fittings for precision analytical, biomedical, and biocompatible instrumentation. VICI product lines also include related products such as pneumatic and electric actuators, tubing and sample loops, heated enclosures, valve sequence and temperature controllers, gas purifiers, calibration gas generators, GC capillary columns, GC detectors, syringes, and digital interfaces.

Stan Stearns holds patents for many innovations, including the pulsed discharge ionization detector for gas chromatography. The detector was a winner of the 1996 R&D 100 Award, widely recognized as the "Oscars of Innovation". While Valco is primarily recognized for products involved in gas chromatography, they were also involved in the early development of tools for HPLC. More recently, Valco's high pressure fittings for 360 micron fittings received Laboratory Equipment magazine's Readers' Choice Award.

Valco Instruments is located in Houston, Texas, with branches in Shenkon, Switzerland and Brockville, Ontario. Divisions are also located in Poulsbo, Washington and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.