Agilent (formerly Hewlett-Packard) and Yokogawa Electric of Japan established their first joint venture in 1963. It was from this strong collaborative base that Yokogawa Analytical Systems Inc. was formed in 1992 to build the next generation ICP-MS for the world market. Yokogawa was already well known in Japan for its high performance PMS series ICP-MS systems; this instrument expertise combined with HP’s leadership in analytical technology led to the introduction of the HP 4500 worldwide in 1994.The first benchtop ICP-MS, the HP 4500 was to become the most successful ICP-MS platform ever produced with more than 750 shipped in a five-year period. Only the Agilent 7500 Series has surpassed this record with more than 1000 units shipped in a 4 year period – Agilent’s reward for its continued program of research and innovation. The 7700 Series replaces the market-leading 7500 Series, and improves on the previous model in every way.