COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3861

Motion Picture Equipment & Suppliers

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

13companies1904–1996founding years13still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedNashua Corporation
1904
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedRockwell International Corporation
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedThe Mead Corporation
1930
FoundedFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
1934
FoundedCanon Inc.FoundedMinolta Co., Ltd.
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedGerber Scientific, Inc.
1948
FoundedPanavision Inc.
1954
FoundedCircon Corporation
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKyocera Corporation
1959
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedNu-kote Holding, Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
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.
FoundedBallantyne of Omaha, Inc.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedImation Corporation
1996
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

Nashua Corporation →
Active · founded 1904
Nashua Corporation in Nashua, New Hampshire, is a medium-sized company that conducts a variety of businesses.
Rockwell International Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
One of five companies in the United States supplying the federal government with military aircraft fighters and bombers…
The Mead Corporation →
Active · founded 1930
The Mead Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper (producing more than 1.7 million tons each…
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1934 · Japan
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
Canon Inc. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Although it scarcely predates World War II, Canon Inc.
Minolta Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Since Kazuo Tashima began using German technology to produce one camera a day in 1928, Minolta Co., Ltd.
Gerber Scientific, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Gerber Scientific, Inc.
Panavision Inc. →
Active · founded 1954
Panavision Inc.
Circon Corporation →
Active · founded 1957
Circon Corporation is the largest producer of laparoscopic scopes, medical video systems, and endoscopic suction…
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Nu-kote Holding, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Based in Dallas, Texas, Nu-kote Holding, Inc.
Ballantyne of Omaha, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Ballantyne of Omaha, Inc.
Imation Corporation →
Active · founded 1996
In the closing months of 1995, Minnesota's 3M Corporation, one of the bluest of America's blue-chip companies,…
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