贝尔实验室被伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司收购

贝尔实验室被伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司收购
Bell Laboratories Acquired by Berkshire Hathaway

原始链接: https://www.pctonline.com/news/bell-laboratories-acquired-berkshire-hathaway/

## 贝尔实验室被伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司收购贝尔实验室，一家领先的啮齿动物控制解决方案供应商，于7月31日被伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司收购。这是自1974年由马尔科姆·斯塔克创立，以及随后由他的女儿琳达·休斯和安妮·康纳所有以来的首次所有权变更，她们正接近退休年龄。伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司以沃伦·巴菲特领导下的长期投资策略而闻名，计划独立运营贝尔实验室，保留其领导层、企业文化和战略方向。巴菲特本人对贝尔的未来表示信心，预计未来50年将继续成功。业界反应积极，像奥尔德姆化工公司这样的分销商对贝尔产品的稳定性和持续质量以及创新持乐观态度。他们预计定价和供应不会立即发生变化，并且一些人推测此次收购可能会促使伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司进一步投资于害虫控制行业，理由是啮齿动物控制市场持续增长。

## 贝尔实验室收购 – 一场认错事件最近一篇关于伯克希尔·哈撒韦收购“贝尔实验室”的文章引发了 Hacker News 的讨论，很快揭示了一个有趣的误解。许多人最初认为指的是著名的研发公司——诺基亚贝尔实验室，历史上负责 Unix 和 C 编程语言等创新。然而，被收购的贝尔实验室实际上是一家生产捕鼠器和其他啮齿动物控制技术的制造商。混淆源于共享的名称和网站域名相似性。评论员指出，自 1996 年从 AT&T 分拆以来，原来的贝尔实验室已经多次易主，并且其对尖端技术的影响随着时间的推移而减弱。该帖子以幽默的方式探讨了这种讽刺，一些人认为捕鼠器业务可能出人意料地“防未来”，另一些人则开玩笑地谈论了这个名称的由来。它强调了即使是标志性品牌也可能逐渐失去影响力，例如摩托罗拉和诺基亚在手机市场的情况。

原文

***updated on Aug. 11 at 11 a.m. (EST), with additional information about the Stack family***

WINDSOR, Wis. – Bell Laboratories announced it has been acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. The transaction closed on July 31.

The acquisition marks a new chapter in Bell Laboratories’ history. Bell Laboratories said it remains committed to delivering high-quality products and services to customers worldwide. Under Berkshire Hathaway ownership, Bell will continue to operate independently, maintaining its leadership, culture and strategic direction.

Bell Laboratories welcomed Warren Buffett, Greg Abel, Howard Buffett and members of the Berkshire Hathaway team to its corporate headquarters Aug. 4. In a conversation between Bell President and CEO Steve Levy and Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, Buffett congratulated the company on its 50-year legacy and offered his perspective on its future.

“Mr. Buffett congratulated Bell on 50 years of success,” Levy said. “He shared that, because of this transaction, Bell can expect to be around for the next 50 years.”

Patrick Lynch, chief commercial officer of Bell and president of Bell Sensing, said the company is excited to welcome Berkshire Hathaway to the pest control industry.

“Due to Berkshire’s commitment to maintaining our leadership and culture, we are happy to reassure our partners that Bell will continue to lead our industry, providing the widest breadth and highest quality rodent control tools on the market,” Lynch said.

Bell Laboratories was founded in 1974 by Malcolm Stack, who launched the business following a successful career managing a pesticide formulation business. Following his passing in 2006, the company had been solely owned by his daughters, Linda Hughes and Anne Connor, both of whom are now nearing retirement age. The sale to Berkshire Hathaway marks the first change of ownership from the Stack family.

Bell Laboratories said it remains committed to delivering innovative, science-driven rodent control solutions while upholding the values that have defined the company since its founding. Levy said, “We are grateful for the enduring commitment the Malcolm Stack family has made to the pest control industry, and we look forward to building on that legacy in partnership with Berkshire Hathaway.”

Early Reaction from Industry Distributors
PCT reached out to industry stakeholders and their reaction to the news Bell Laboratories had been sold to Berkshire Hathaway has been positive.

Berkshire Hathaway, led by legendary investor Warren Buffett, is synonymous with the buy-and-hold investment strategy, holding investments for a long period of time.

Tommy Reeves, vice president of distributor Oldham Chemicals Co., said he is optimistic about Bell Laboratories’ future because Berkshire Hathaway is a reputable investment firm with a solid track record. “It could’ve been acquired by other investors who might have quickly flipped the company, but Berkshire tends to take a longer-term approach. That gives me confidence in the future of Bell.”

From a distributor perspective, Reeves does not expect any changes to product pricing and availability as well as quality control, innovation or R&D. “I expect a steady supply and consistency in the quality Bell Labs has maintained for the past 50 years,” he said.

Reeves said it will be interesting to see if the Bell Laboratories acquisition will be a gateway to other pest control industry acquisitions for Berkshire Hathaway. “Honestly, I’d welcome Berkshire acquiring other vendors. They seem like good people,” he said.

Another industry distributor told PCT off the record he was not surprised by the announcement. “Investors continue to look for investments with a solid return, and that is not lost on Berkshire Hathaway,” he said. “The rodent category continues to grow and grow.”

He added that “Bell Labs is a ‘well run machine’ with ‘outstanding people.’”

PCT will update our coverage on this industry development. — Brad Harbison and Jodi Dorsch

贝尔实验室被伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司收购 Bell Laboratories Acquired by Berkshire Hathaway

贝尔实验室被伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司收购
Bell Laboratories Acquired by Berkshire Hathaway