COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 7373

CAD Systems and Services

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

34companies1868–1996founding years34still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedDeere & Company
1868
FoundedToshiba Corporation
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedVitro Corp.
1950
FoundedLitton Industries, Inc.
1953
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAnalytic Sciences Corporation
1966
FoundedAmerican Management Systems, Inc.
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedFuture Now, Inc.FoundedSAP AG
1976
FoundedJack Henry and Associates, Inc.
1977
FoundedThe Learning Company Inc.
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedMentor Graphics CorporationFoundedSterling Software, Inc.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedLotus Development Corporation
1982
FoundedComverse Technology, Inc.FoundedMAI Systems Corporation
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedDigi International Inc.
1985
FoundedRadius Inc.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedAscend Communications, Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
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.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
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

Deere & Company →
Active · founded 1868
One of the five oldest companies in the United States, Deere & Company is the world's largest manufacturer of…
Toshiba Corporation →
Active · founded 1896 · Japan
Toshiba Corporation is one of Japan's oldest and largest producers of consumer and industrial electric products.
Bowne & Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1909
The world's largest financial printer and one of the oldest companies in the United States, Bowne & Co., Inc.
Vitro Corp. →
Active · founded 1950
Vitro Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tracor Inc.
BBN Corp. →
Active · founded 1953
BBN Corp.
Litton Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
The U.S.
Volt Information Sciences Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Volt Information Sciences Inc.
Analytic Sciences Corporation →
Active · founded 1966
The Analytic Sciences Corporation (TASC) is a leading provider of applied information technology services.
Shared Medical Systems Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Shared Medical Systems Corporation (SMS) is a leading provider of computer-based information processing systems and…
American Management Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
American Management Systems, Inc.
Information Builders, Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
Information Builders, Inc.
Future Now, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Future Now, Inc.
MicroAge, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
MicroAge, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is one of the nation's largest resellers of computer equipment and systems.
SAP AG →
Active · founded 1976 · Germany
SAP AG is the fifth largest independent software producer worldwide and the largest producer of standard…
Information Access Company →
Active · founded 1977
Information Access Company (IAC) is among the worldwide leaders in providing periodical indexes and the articles…
Jack Henry and Associates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Jack Henry and Associates, Inc.
GenRad, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
GenRad, Inc.
The Learning Company Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
The Learning Company Inc.
Mentor Graphics Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Mentor Graphics Corporation is among the world leaders in electronic design automation (EDA), the use of computer…
Primark Corp. →
Active · founded 1981
Primark Corp.
Sterling Software, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Sterling Software, Inc., is a computer software company that is in the forefront of developing products for electronic…
Compaq Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
Compaq Computer Corporation is the world's largest supplier of personal computers and, as a result of its acquisition…
Lotus Development Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
Lotus Development Corporation, a subsidiary of IBM, is the largest supplier of integrated messaging and groupware…
SunGard Data Systems Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
SunGard Data Systems Inc.
Comverse Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Comverse Technology, Inc.
Firearms Training Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Firearms Training Systems, Inc., better known by the acronym FATS, provides weapons training for law enforcement…
MAI Systems Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
MAI Systems Corporation sells a wide range of computer equipment and related services to businesses throughout North…
CHIPS and Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Founded in 1985, CHIPS and Technologies, Inc., supplies advanced semiconductor devices to the worldwide personal…
Digi International Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Digi International Inc.
FTP Software, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
FTP Software, Inc.
Radius Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Radius Inc.
Triple P N.V. →
Active · founded 1988 · The Netherlands
Triple P N.V.
Ascend Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Ascend Communications, Inc.
SABRE Group Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
SABRE Group Holdings, Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a cad systems and services company now

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