What happened to Schwarz Mann Biotech?

Answer 1

Schwarz Mann, a biochemical supply company with considerable technical and commercial success, was purchased by Becton Dickinson in the 1970s and, like most growing companies that Becton Dickinson purchased, was ruined by the parent company whose executives lacked scientific training and perspective. Becton failed to invest in the biochemical supply business during a time when other companies in the business rapidly expanded and prospered. The Schwarz Mann business at Becton was located at 13 Mountain View Avenue, Orangeburg New York, just north of the New Jersey border.

Because the Schwarz Mann business involved, in part, radiocative biochemicals, Becton tried to use this base to vault into clinical diagnostics that used such chemicals. While the original Schwartz business atrophied, its skilled chemists made a success of the diagnostics business, for a while until the corporate people started interfering. Becton corporate management, based in Paramus and later at a palace like HQ in Franklin Lakes, formed a limited partnership of outside investors to develop a new type of diagnostic product based on a failed concept, a liposomal detection system. This detection system was developed by a Becton unit in Salt Lake City that had been purchased from Howard Hughs (!) and run into the ground by Becton corporate by the early 1980s. While the liposomal concept was flawed from the start, certain corporate executives were tied to its success and the whole affair took on an 'emperor who wore no clothes' atmosphere as staff was forced to pretend that the system worked, and middle managers presented phony data to support efficacy. Ultimately, an expensive and unworkable instrument was developed, called the Aria. It was pushed to market and was a dismal failure that died on the launch pad, because customers refused to go along with the ruse. Multiple Becton divisions were closed as a result of this fiasco. Perhaps five hundred careers were ruined in Orangeberg, Salt Lake, and Baltimore. But the corporate executives got their parachutes and one went on to lead a major American pharmaceutical company. At the end, many Schwartz Mann original employees were still present. So that is the sorry end of a proud company, Schwarz Mann, ground down to oblivion like most small entities that come within the orbit of Becton Dickinson under the pretense of synergy.

Currently the property on Mountainview Avenue, based on a Google search, does not appear to have a corporate owner, and may be in the hands of a non-profit. Since the building was used for high level radioactive chemical synthesis, I often wonder how, and if, the building ductwork was decommissioned of high radioactivity levels, and how the grounds, that were subject to many chemical dumpings over the years (especially outside the door behind what was the cafeteria) were cleaned up for sale.