Desco Industries, Inc. celebrates 20 years of business in 1999. It all started almost 50 years ago when John A. McDonald of Glendale, CA developed a multiple-purpose continuity and voltage tester for electrical circuits. A patent was applied for in 1952 and granted in 1956. He and a partner formed the Delta Electrical Specialty Company (DESCO) to manufacture and sell the device. This first product was the Circuitracer®, which we still make.

In 1990, we acquired Charleswater Products in West Newton, MA. We have since moved to larger facilities in Canton, MA and in 1998 Desco and Charleswater were combined into one brand.

In 1979 John McDonald sold his company. We liked the name Desco and in that year we incorporated the name as Desco Industries, Inc. in Brea, CA. We quickly outgrew that building and moved to Walnut, CA in 1981. The product line expanded into ESD control, which is our primary focus today.

Plastic Systems in Marlboro, MA was acquired in 1994 as primarily a direct seller to the end user. The name has since been changed to ESD Systems.com.

In 1996 we acquired Rochester USA where we manufacture foot grounders. Our most recent acquisition, November 1999, was Pilgrim ESD Technologies, a manufacturer of specialized testing devices. Corporate headquarters and the West Coast Desco Charleswater offices just moved to a much larger facility in Chino, CA. From a humble beginning of a single product offering in 1979, Desco Charleswater now offers over 900 products for ESD control and electronics assembly.