Pall Corporation
A Danaher company supplying filtration, separation, and purification technologies for life-science, medical, and industrial applications.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
Pall Corporation is a United States-based supplier of filtration, separation, and purification technologies. Its products and engineering services are used to control particles, microbes, contaminants, and other unwanted materials in liquids and gases. The company serves both highly regulated life-science markets and broad industrial sectors, with applications ranging from biopharmaceutical manufacturing and laboratory work to blood transfusion, aircraft hydraulics, fuel treatment, water purification, energy, electronics, and industrial processing. The business began in 1946 as Micro Metallic Corporation, founded by inventor David B. Pall. It adopted the Pall Corporation name in 1957 and built its early reputation by developing fine-filtration technologies for demanding fluid-management problems. During the late 1950s, the company entered aerospace-related filtration, including hydraulic filters used on aircraft landing systems and equipment for purifying jet fuel. This work helped establish filtration as a core engineering capability rather than merely a consumables category. Pall expanded internationally and technologically during the 1960s and 1970s. Pall Europe Limited was formed in 1966, while the company broadened its presence in industrial and medical applications. By the 1970s it was recognized as a significant fine-filtration supplier, and its products were increasingly applied to medical fluid management. The company also supplied filtration and fluid-control solutions for technically demanding infrastructure and emergency-response situations, including cleanup work associated with the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident. In later decades, Pall developed offerings for blood processing, pharmaceutical production, laboratory research, aerospace, transportation, water, and industrial operations. Its 1988 leukocyte-reduction filter for blood transfusion became one of the company’s best-known medical innovations. Other notable applications included hydraulic systems used during construction of the Channel Tunnel and engine air-cleaning systems installed on military helicopters to reduce sand and dust ingestion during Operation Desert Storm. Acquisitions supported the company’s expansion. Pall acquired Gelman Sciences in 1997 and the German company Rochem in 1998, adding technologies, facilities, and market access. By the early 2010s, the company operated through two broad integrated areas generally described as Pall Life Sciences and Pall Industries. Life Sciences served biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical, and laboratory customers, while the industrial business addressed energy, aerospace, electronics, transportation, water, and other process industries. Pall was acquired by Danaher Corporation in 2015. Danaher announced the transaction on May 31, 2015, and completed it on August 31, 2015. The acquisition ended Pall’s status as an independent publicly traded company and made it a wholly owned Danaher subsidiary. Pall continues to operate as a filtration and purification brand within Danaher’s broader life-science and industrial technology portfolio. In 2022, Danaher announced plans to combine Pall Life Sciences with Cytiva into a new biotechnology group, reflecting the increasing integration of Pall’s bioprocessing capabilities with Danaher’s broader biopharmaceutical platform.
History
Pall Corporation was founded in 1946 as Micro Metallic Corporation by David B. Pall. The company initially focused on metallic and porous-material technologies and later developed a business around fine filtration and fluid clarification. It purchased an industrial building on Sea Cliff Avenue in Glen Cove, New York, in 1953 and constructed another nearby facility in 1958. The company changed its name to Pall Corporation in 1957. A major early turning point came in 1958, when Pall began developing filters for aircraft hydraulic systems. Its technology was applied to landing-gear systems on American Airlines Boeing 707 aircraft, after which the company also developed equipment for jet-fuel purification. These aerospace applications helped establish its reputation for reliability in systems where contamination could impair safety or performance. Pall Cortland was established in 1961 through the purchase of operations from Trinity Equipment Company, adding an important industrial base. Pall expanded beyond the United States during the 1960s. Pall Europe Limited was formed in 1966, while the company continued to broaden its industrial, medical, and process-filtration applications. Sales grew from a reported $6.7 million in 1960 to $88 million in 1978. During the 1970s, Pall became associated with fine filtration and made substantial contributions to medical applications. Its capabilities were also used during the response to the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident, where filtration and fluid-management technologies supported cleanup activities. The 1980s and 1990s brought further diversification. Pall provided hydraulic-related solutions for construction of the Channel Tunnel beneath the English Channel. In 1988, it introduced a blood-transfusion filter designed to reduce leukocyte levels more effectively than earlier products. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Centrisep air cleaners were used in United States Army and Royal Air Force helicopters to limit sand and dust entering engines. These examples illustrated the breadth of Pall’s technical platform across healthcare, infrastructure, and defense-related applications. The company strengthened its portfolio through acquisitions, including Gelman Sciences in 1997 and Rochem of Germany in 1998. These transactions expanded Pall’s scientific, laboratory, industrial, and international capabilities. By the 2000s and early 2010s, its operations were organized around two broad areas: Pall Life Sciences and Pall Industries. Life Sciences addressed biopharmaceutical processing, biotechnology, laboratory work, medical applications, and transfusion medicine. The industrial business served energy, electronics, aerospace, transportation, water treatment, and general manufacturing. Pall maintained research and technical centers in the United States and abroad, including a major industrial technical center in Cortland, New York. Pall’s founder received the National Medal of Technology in 1990 for his filtration inventions and for building the company into an international enterprise. He was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2008 for the leukoreduction filter. The company also received recognition for environmental performance and porous iron-aluminide technology during the late 2000s and early 2010s. On May 31, 2015, Danaher Corporation announced its agreement to acquire Pall. The transaction closed on August 31, 2015, making Pall a wholly owned Danaher subsidiary. The acquisition shifted Pall from an independent listed company to a private operating company within Danaher. In September 2022, Danaher announced a planned combination of Pall Life Sciences and Cytiva into a new biotechnology group. This reflected the strategic importance of Pall’s bioprocess filtration, separation, and purification capabilities to Danaher’s biotechnology platform.
- 2022
Pall Life Sciences and Cytiva combination announced
[1]Danaher announced plans to combine Pall Life Sciences with Cytiva in a new biotechnology group.
- 2015
Acquired by Danaher
[1]Danaher completed its acquisition of Pall on August 31, 2015.
- 2008
Founder inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
[1]David B. Pall was posthumously inducted for inventing the leukoreduction filter.
- 1998
Rochem acquired
[1]Pall acquired German company Rochem as part of its international expansion.
- 1997
Gelman Sciences acquired
[1]Pall acquired Gelman Sciences, expanding its filtration and scientific-products capabilities.
- 1990
David B. Pall receives National Medal of Technology
[1]Pall's founder was recognized for filtration inventions and for developing the company into a global business.
- 1988
Leukocyte-reduction blood filter introduced
[1]Pall began selling a blood-transfusion filter designed to reduce leukocyte levels.
- 1979
Three Mile Island cleanup support
[1]Pall filtration technologies contributed to cleanup activities following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident.
- 1966
Pall Europe established
[1]The formation of Pall Europe Limited expanded the company's international presence.
- 1958
Entry into aircraft filtration
[1]Pall began developing hydraulic filters for aircraft and subsequently introduced jet-fuel purification applications.
Products and positioning
A high-performance filtration, separation, and purification technology provider focused on contamination control, process reliability, regulatory compliance, and fluid management in technically demanding markets.
Biopharmaceutical filtration and purification
Pall Biotech
Pall Biotech provides filtration, separation, purification, and fluid-management technologies for biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Its offerings support upstream and downstream processing, sterile processing, clarification, virus and impurity removal, and other operations where contamination control and process consistency are critical. The portfolio is used by biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations across research, clinical production, and commercial manufacturing.
Medical and transfusion filtration
Pall Medical
Pall Medical covers filtration products for healthcare, blood processing, and transfusion medicine. The business became particularly associated with leukocyte-reduction filters, which remove white blood cells from donated blood components. Its broader medical technologies are intended to help manage particulates, microorganisms, and other contaminants in clinical and blood-bank environments.
Industrial fluid and gas management
Industrial filtration systems
Pall's industrial portfolio includes filters and integrated systems for liquids, gases, hydraulic fluids, fuels, process streams, and industrial water. Applications include energy, electronics, aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, and municipal or industrial water purification. These systems are designed for demanding operating conditions in which equipment protection, product quality, uptime, and contaminant control are important.
Laboratory products and services
Laboratory and scientific filtration
Pall supplies laboratory filtration products and scientific services for sample preparation, fluid clarification, sterilization, and research workflows. These offerings support life-science laboratories and process-development teams that require repeatable separation performance and controlled fluid handling. Pall's scientific and laboratory activities have included technical-service locations and research facilities in multiple countries.
Blood transfusion technology · 1988
Leukocyte-reduction blood filters
Introduced commercially in the late 1980s, Pall's leukocyte-reduction filters were designed to lower the number of white blood cells in blood components used for transfusion. The technology became a defining medical innovation for the company and was later recognized through David B. Pall's induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Controversies
Michigan dioxane cleanup and consent judgment
Pall was discussed in reporting concerning dioxane contamination in Michigan. A company representative stated that Pall was complying with a consent judgment involving the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which served as the legal framework for cleanup. The available reference does not establish the full chronology, scope, or final outcome of the environmental matter.
Brand decisions
2022
Combination of Pall Life Sciences and CytivaStrategyBackground
Danaher identified increasing strategic overlap between Pall's bioprocess filtration capabilities and Cytiva's biotechnology technologies.
Action taken
Danaher announced plans to combine Pall Life Sciences with Cytiva into a new biotechnology group.
Aftermath
The announcement indicated a deeper organizational integration of Pall's life-science activities within Danaher's biotechnology portfolio. The available reference does not provide further implementation details.
2015
Danaher acquisition of Pall CorporationM&ABackground
Pall had developed a large international business spanning life sciences, medical filtration, and industrial fluid management. Danaher sought to add Pall's filtration and separation capabilities to its portfolio.
Action taken
Danaher announced the transaction on May 31, 2015, and completed the acquisition on August 31, 2015, making Pall a wholly owned subsidiary.
Aftermath
Pall continued operating as a Danaher company, while its life-science capabilities became part of Danaher's broader biotechnology and life-science platform.
Acquisition consideration. Approximately USD 13.8 billion transaction value; USD 127.20 per share (2015)
Recent events
- 2022
Danaher announces biotechnology-group combination of Pall Life Sciences and Cytiva[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Danaher announced that Pall Life Sciences would be combined with Cytiva to form a new biotechnology group within Danaher.
- 2015
Danaher announces agreement to acquire Pall Corporation[1]
M&A
Danaher announced an agreement to acquire Pall Corporation, bringing the filtration and separation company into its life-science and industrial technology portfolio.
- 2015
Danaher completes acquisition of Pall Corporation[1]
M&A
The acquisition of Pall Corporation by Danaher was completed on August 31, 2015, and Pall became a wholly owned Danaher subsidiary.
- 2013
Pall announces facility closures in Ann Arbor and Fort Myers[1]
Other
Pall announced plans to close facilities in Ann Arbor and Fort Myers, Florida, as part of changes to its manufacturing footprint.
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