About Us

History

Portraits of Russell and Sigurd Varian

Russell and Sigurd Varian (photographs by Ansel Adams)

Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI), as the former Electron Device Business of Varian Associates, Inc., has a long heritage of technological and product excellence. CPI is a global manufacturer of electronic components and subsystems focused primarily on communications and defense markets. The company develops, manufactures and globally distributes innovative and reliable technology solutions used in the generation, amplification, transmission and reception of microwave signals for commercial and military applications. CPI serves customers in the communications, defense, medical, industrial and scientific markets.

An abstract image

1948

Sig and Russell Varian post with a klystron, circa 1953

Varian Brothers Introduce the Klystron

Russell H. Varian and Sigurd F. Varian the historical founders of CPI’s business, found Varian Associates and introduced the klystron, which they invented, as its first commercial product. At the time, Varian Associates has $22,000 of capital and six full-time employees.

1950s

Early Operations Grow Quickly

In its early years, Varian Associates’ products include vacuum electron tubes, an expanding instruments product line, an embryonic accelerator activity and a venture into geophysical instruments. In the mid-1950s, the company invents an all-electronic vacuum pump for manufacturing vacuum electron tubes. The company soon realizes that the vacuum pump had applications far beyond tube processing and launches additional lines of business.

1953

First Varian Associates building in Stanford Industrial Park in Palo Alto, circa 1953

Company Establishes Headquarters in Palo Alto, California

The company moves the headquarters of Varian Associates to what is now the Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto, California. CPI’s present-day headquarters remain on the same campus.

1954

Varian Associates of Canada Launches in Ontario, Canada

In the early 1950s, the Canadian government asks Varian Associates to create a local source for the production of microwave vacuum electron devices. The company establishes Varian Associates of Canada Limited in 1954 in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada.

1959

Bomac Laboratories Inc. brochure for microwave products, late 1940s/early 1950s

Varian Associates Establishes Operations in Beverly, Massachusetts

Varian Associates acquires Bomac Laboratories, a manufacturer of microwave tubes and components, and helps launch S-F-D Laboratories to design and build new classes of magnetrons and other microwave tubes. These operations are combined with LEL, Inc., which specializes in microwave components and is acquired by the company in 1964, to create one operation in Beverly, Massachusetts.

1960s

Bob Symons and Dick Nelson in front of a Varian Associates building in Palo Alto, circa 1964

Company Explores New Avenues for Growth

Varian Associates expands its business with research in solid state devices, new forms of printing and the development of devices for commercial communications. The company also acquires the traveling wave tube business of the General Electric Company in Palo Alto during this period.

1965

Eimac logo

Varian Associates Acquires Eitel-McCullough (Eimac)

William Eitel and Jack McCullough found Eitel-McCullough, Inc. in 1934 to produce more powerful and reliable transmitting vacuum tubes operating at low voltages for the Ham radio community. Its products are quickly adopted for commercial and military transmitters; they are used by the U.S. Navy in radar experiments starting in 1938 and they power Allied radars during World War II. By 1965, Eimac manufactures a broad line of specialty electron tubes, primarily for various broadcast and industrial markets.

1970s

The Varian Associates lobby in Palo Alto, circa the 1950s

Early Solid State Operations

In 1972, Varian Associates purchases Ryka Scientific, which becomes part of the company’s solid state operations. In 1979, these operations are consolidated and move into a new facility “dedicated to the development and production of microwave solid state devices and components.” These products are used for low-power applications in communications, avionics, radar, instrumentation and electronic warfare applications. CPI later sells these operations.

1989

Primetime Emmy Award trophy awarded to Varian/Eimac in 1989

Eimac Wins an Emmy

The Eimac Division of Varian Associates is awarded an Emmy® Award for technological achievement by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the energy efficient performance of the Klystrode® inductive output tube (IOT). The Klystrode IOT used in television transmitters at WCES in Augusta, Georgia is the first of the high-power output devices to be on-air for UHF television.

1995

Historical CPI logo, circa 1995 to 2019

CPI is Formed

Varian Associates sells the Electron Device Business to Leonard Green & Partners, L.P., a private equity fund, and members of management. Together, they form Communications & Power Industries (CPI) with the mandate to continue to grow the business’ tradition of technology leadership and manufacturing excellence.

2004

Power grid devices and historical Econco logo

CPI Acquires Econco

Econco Broadcast Service, Inc., a rebuilder of power grid devices founded in 1968, receives the first contracts ever awarded by the U.S. government and the U.S. Navy to remanufacture microwave devices, and twice receives the U.S. Navy’s Award for Excellence.

2006

Graphic showing the CPI ticker symbol and the Nasdaq Global Select logo

CPI Goes Public

CPI International, Inc., the parent company of CPI, holds its initial public offering and begins trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “CPII.” The company is taken private again in 2011.

2007

Malibu Research Associates historical logo next to a Malibu antenna

CPI Enters Antenna Business

CPI acquires Malibu Research Associates, Inc., founded in 1975, a leader in the design, manufacture and integration of advanced antenna systems for radar, radar simulators and telemetry systems, as well as for strategically vital data links used in ground, airborne, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and shipboard systems.

2012

Solid-state product from Codan Satcom

Company Increases Solid State Offerings

CPI acquires the Codan Satcom business from Codan Limited, increasing CPI’s portfolio of solid-state products and subsystems for satellite communications applications to support commercial and government customers.

2013

Amplifier from MCL

CPI Acquires MCL

CPI acquires M C L, Inc. (MCL), a manufacturer of power amplifier products and systems for the satellite communications market. The acquisition further expands CPI’s satellite communications product and service offerings.

Front of CPI building in Hudson, MA

CPI Enters Radome Business

CPI acquires Radant Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of advanced composite radomes, reflector antennas and structures for defense aerospace, defense naval and commercial aerospace applications that was founded in 1984. The acquisition broadens CPI’s portfolio of microwave and radio frequency products for radar, electronic warfare and communications applications.

2015

ASC Signal antenna

CPI Acquires ASC Signal

The company acquires ASC Signal Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of advanced satellite communications, radar and high-frequency antennas and controllers. The ASC Signal operations are divested in 2020 following CPI’s acquisition of the satellite antenna systems business of General Dynamics.

2018

Orbital antenna side view

CPI Grows Antenna Business

CPI acquires the related companies Orbital Systems, Ltd. and Quorum Communications, Inc., merging them into one organization, Orbital Systems LLC. Orbital designs and manufactures ground-based full-motion antenna systems primarily for communications with earth observation satellites in low earth orbit and telemetry, tracking and control applications, as well as provides satellite microwave receivers, downconverters and other communications products.

2020

MeerKAT radio telescope antenna

CPI Acquires GD SATCOM Technologies Antenna Business

CPI acquires the General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies global antenna systems business, which designs, manufactures and installs satcom antenna systems used in commercial, defense and scientific applications, as well as provides related radio frequency products and electronics. The acquisition significantly expands CPI’s antenna systems capabilities and broadens its offerings for communications customers.

2021

TMD logo above a TMD product being assembled

CPI Acquires TMD Technologies

CPI acquires TMD Technologies Ltd., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microwave power sources, high-voltage power supplies and transmitters for radar, electronic warfare, communications, industrial testing and scientific applications.

ESSCO radome being installed around an antenna at McMurdo Station in Antartica

CPI Acquires ESSCO

CPI acquires the L3 ESSCO, Inc. (ESSCO) radome business, which manufactures specialty radomes and radio frequency composite structures used in defense and communications applications, specializing in large, metal space frame ground radomes.

2022

An AdamWorks AgilePod in the factory

CPI Continues to Grow Radome Business

CPI acquires AdamWorks, LLC, a design engineering and manufacturing company that specializes in composite structures for business and commercial aviation, manned and unmanned systems, space and defense applications.

Today

Communications & Power Industries logo

Shaping the Future Through Innovation and Discovery

Today, CPI is a global communications and defense technology company and is owned by The Jordan Company. CPI’s products can be found worldwide in groundbreaking systems that power all types of communications, mission-critical defense systems that protect U.S. and allied forces, and life-saving medical systems that help diagnose diseases and fight cancer. The company employs approximately 2,700 people in more than 50 worldwide locations and generates more than $750 million in sales.