Herzan was founded in 1992 by Ann Scanlan in Orange County, California. Originally established as an American subsidiary of Herz Company Ltd., a Japanese company specializing in vibration control, Herzan began operations supporting customers in North and South America. The name Herzan was inspired by this partnership and became an amalgamation of the two words ‘Herz’ and ‘Ann’. Herzan began operations importing large-scale optical tables from Herz in Japan and active vibration isolation systems from Table Stable in Switzerland. Herzan’s acoustic enclosures also originated from the collaboration with Herz to produce the precision research industry’s quietest operating environment. Gradually, the needs of Herzan customers shifted towards smaller, more customized acoustic and vibration isolation solutions. Herzan complemented its range of products to also include desktop and modular isolation solutions which could be scaled to fit specific instruments.
In the late 1990s, Herzan evolved beyond a simple distributorship for Herz and Table Stable, officially beginning to manufacture acoustic enclosures domestically in the year 2000. Herzan engineered its enclosures in partnership with some of the leading instrument manufacturers in the atomic force microscopy industry, focusing on cutting edge acoustic isolation performance and design considerations meant to optimize the user experience. Herzan’s growing capability of designing enclosures transformed the company into a solutions provided that delivered design and feature considerations to meet the specific needs of the nanotechnology research community. Herzan partnered with instrument manufacturers to develop solutions that specifically catered to the needs of their instruments. In so doing, Herzan became a comprehensive solutions provider, offering capabilities in engineering, design, production, assembly, service, and support.
In 2002, Herzan became a fully independent, US-owned operation. Since that time, Herzan has grown substantially in terms of sales, staff, and available product offerings. In addition to high performance vibration isolation systems and acoustic enclosures, Herzan’s product line has grown to include passive and active EMI isolation solutions, desktop air-based vibration isolation tables, laboratory workstations, and site survey tools.