Membrane Development Specialists (MDS) was formed in 1980 as a Joint Venture between Brown Bavari Corporation (BBC) of Zurich, Switzerland and Desalination Systems (DSI) of Escondido, California. Its purpose was to develop applications for membrane technology from concept full size plant installation. To accomplish this task MDS utilized the access to specialty membranes and elements from DSI conducting bench tests that lead to field pilot tests and ultimately resulted in designing membrane equipment that was built and installed for industrial processes. Larry Lien, joined DSI in 1983 and became managing director of MDS in 1985. In 1987 Dr. Salimbeni inquired to MDS about the use of membrane technology on waste water from Olive Mills in Italy. This started a long relationship of co-operating on new industrial process membrane applications that continues to this day. BBC dropped out of the JV in 1990, but DSI continued funding MDS work until DSI was sold to Osmonics in 1997. MDS led Osmonics membrane applications group until Osmonics was acquired in 2003 by General Electric. Upon which the MDS name was abandon as a separate entity. Larry Lien stayed on at GE until August 1 2006 upon which time he retired. With blessing of GE, Larry Lien re-established the MDS name under a LLC in California on 1 September 2006.