 The company rented larger quarters at 3330 Colorado Street, and began manufacturing pH meters.The pH meter is an important device for measuring the pH of a solution, and by 11 May 1939, sales were successful enough that Beckman left Caltech to become the full-time president of National Technical Laboratories.By 1940, Beckman was able to take out a loan to build his own 12,000 square foot factory in South Pasadena.