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Business Description
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Business Description
1)
Business Description
MKS Instruments, Inc. (“MKS” or the “Company”) was founded in 1961 and is a global provider of instruments, systems, subsystems and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power and control critical parameters of advanced manufacturing processes to improve process performance and productivity for our customers. The Company’s products are derived from its core competencies in pressure measurement and control, flow measurement and control, gas and vapor delivery, gas composition analysis, electronic control technology, reactive gas generation and delivery, power generation and delivery, vacuum technology, lasers, photonics, optics, precision motion control, vibration control and laser-based manufacturing systems solutions. The Company also provides services relating to the maintenance and repair of its products, installation services and training. The Company’s primary served markets include semiconductor, industrial technologies, life and health sciences, research and defense. The Company groups its product/service offerings into
 
three
groups. These three
groups are: Advanced Manufacturing Components, Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Global Service.
Effective February 1, 2019, in conjunction with the Company’s acquisition of ESI as described further in Note 12, we created a third reportable segment known as the Equipment & Solutions segment in addition to its two then-existing reportable segments: the Vacuum & Analysis segment and the Light & Motion segment.