NAIC 334111

Computers Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

62companies1885–1999founding years54still active8no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1946
TechnologyENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, is unveiled.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1969
TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
TechnologyLinux and open source challenge proprietary software.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

AT&T Corporation
Active · founded 1885
AT&T Corporation organizes its business into two segments, business services and consumer services.
Unisys Corporation
Active · founded 1886
Unisys Corporation is a major provider of computer-related services and technologies to customers in the financial…
Toshiba Corporation
Active · founded 1896 · Japan
Toshiba Corporation is one of Japan's oldest and largest producers of consumer and industrial electric products.
NEC Corporation
Active · founded 1899 · Japan
Early 1920s:NEC, IWE, and a division of the Sumitomo group form a joint venture to produce electrical cables, marking…
NCR Corporation
Active · founded 1900
When National Cash Register Company was formed during the last two decades of the 19th century, it had one…
International Business Machines Corporation
Active · founded 1910
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is the largest computer maker in the world.
NKK Corporation
Defunct · founded 1912 · Japan
NKK Corporation is one of the world's largest steelmakers and Japan's second largest.
Harris Corporation
Active · founded 1926
The origin of the Harris Corporation, a leading American electronics company, is actually to be found in the printing…
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
Aristocrat Leisure Limited
Active · founded 1933 · Australia
Aristocrat Leisure Limited, based in Australia, is the world's second largest manufacturer of casino gaming systems,…
Fujitsu Limited
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
Perhaps the most dramatic example of Japan's ability to overcome long odds in a short space of time has been the growth…
Ricoh Company, Ltd.
Active · founded 1936 · Japan
Ricoh Company, Ltd.
Canon Inc.
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Although it scarcely predates World War II, Canon Inc.
Hewlett-Packard Company
Active · founded 1947
Since merging in 2002, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Compaq have created the new HP (Hewlett-Packard Company), serving more…
Omron Corporation
Active · founded 1948 · Japan
Omron Corporation is a world leader in the field of automation.
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Defunct · founded 1950 · Japan
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Bell Industries, Inc.
Active · founded 1952
Bell Industries, Inc.
Wincor Nixdorf Holding GmbH
Active · founded 1952 · Germany
Wincor Nixdorf Holding GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of automated teller (ATM) and electronic…
Litton Industries, Inc.
Active · founded 1953
The U.S.
General Atomics
Active · founded 1955
General Atomics is involved in a number of high-tech ventures, including fusion research and gas-cooled nuclear…
Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1957 · Japan
Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Control Data Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1957
Control Data Systems, Inc., (CDSI) provides computer systems integration services to businesses and governments around…
Commodore International Ltd.
Active · founded 1958 · United States
Commodore International Ltd.
Schneider S.A.
Active · founded 1966 · France
After a dizzying series of complicated restructurings, acquisitions, and divestments that began in 1980 when the…
Telxon Corporation
Active · founded 1967
Telxon Corporation is a world leader in the design, manufacture, integration, and marketing of portable and wireless…
DRS Technologies, Inc.
Active · founded 1968
DRS Technologies, Inc.
Data General Corporation
Active · founded 1968
Data General Corporation is a manufacturer of multi-user computer systems: minicomputers, workstations, and servers.
Datapoint Corporation
Active · founded 1968
Datapoint Corporation has a proud history as one of the most innovative American computer companies, and today, despite…
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Active · founded 1968
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation is an industry leader in computer graphics, especially in providing realistic…
Intergraph Corporation
Defunct · founded 1969
Intergraph Corporation develops and sells software, hardware, and services for technical professionals, particularly…
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1969 · South Korea
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., is the chief subsidiary of South Korea's giant Samsung Group and one of the largest…
Amdahl Corporation
Active · founded 1970
Amdahl Corporation is a leading manufacturer of large-scale data-processing systems.
Standard Microsystems Corporation
Active · founded 1971
Since being incorporated in 1971, Standard Microsystems Corporation has evolved from a semiconductor supplier to a…
Nam Tai Electronics, Inc.
Active · founded 1975 · Hong Kong
From its early days as a simple calculator manufacturer, Nam Tai Electronics, Inc.
Transaction Systems Architects, Inc.
Active · founded 1975
A fast-growing company in an expanding market, Transaction Systems Architects, Inc.
Acer Inc.
Active · founded 1976 · Taiwan
Called "the region's most impressive technology company" in a 1996 article in The Economist, Acer Inc.
Apple Computer, Inc.
Active · founded 1977
Apple Computer, Inc.
Hypercom Corporation
Defunct · founded 1978
A leader in its field, Hypercom Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets electronic payment hardware and…
Zenith Data Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1979
Zenith Data Systems, Inc.
AST Research Inc.
Active · founded 1980
AST Research Inc., is the third-largest American manufacturer of personal computers based on the industry standard…
First International Computer, Inc.
Active · founded 1980 · Taiwan
Taiwan-based First International Computer, Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
Active · founded 1981
With annual revenues of more than $32 billion, Microsoft Corporation is more than the largest software company in the…
Compaq Computer Corporation
Defunct · founded 1982
Compaq Computer Corporation is the world's largest supplier of personal computers and, as a result of its acquisition…
CompuAdd Computer Corporation
Active · founded 1982
One of the world's leading direct marketers of computers and peripheral equipment, CompuAdd Computer Corporation…
SGI
Defunct · founded 1982
Known for 17 years as Silicon Graphics Inc., SGI is one of the leading manufacturers of graphics computer systems,…
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1982
Archrival of Microsoft Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Encore Computer Corporation
Active · founded 1983
Encore Computer Corporation is one of the leading American manufacturers of open, scalable computer and storage systems…
Everex Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1983
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Everex Systems Inc.
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Active · founded 1983
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Dell Inc.
Active · founded 1984
Long the world's largest direct-sale computer vendor, Dell Inc.
Haier Group Corporation
Active · founded 1984 · China
Haier Group Corporation is one of the world's top-selling makers of white goods and other home appliances.
Research in Motion Ltd.
Active · founded 1984 · Canada
Research in Motion Ltd.
Gateway, Inc.
Active · founded 1986
Following its March 2004 acquisition of eMachines, Inc., Gateway, Inc.
SBS Technologies, Inc.
Active · founded 1986
SBS Technologies, Inc.
ViewSonic Corporation
Active · founded 1987
ViewSonic Corporation is a leading provider of cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) computer…
Gericom AG
Active · founded 1990 · Austria
Fast-rising Gericom AG aims to become Europe's leading manufacturer and distributor of mobile computing and…
Discreet Logic Inc.
Active · founded 1991 · Canada
Montreal-based Discreet Logic Inc.
Equus Computer Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1991
Equus Computer Systems, Inc., is one of the largest of the "tier two" computer system builders in the United States.
Palm, Inc.
Active · founded 1992
Since its inception, Palm, Inc.
Equant N.V.
Active · founded 1998 · The Netherlands
Equant N.V.
Handspring Inc.
Defunct · founded 1998
Handspring Inc.
Systemax, Inc.
Active · founded 1999
Systemax, Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a computers manufacturing company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.