COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3579

Office Machines

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

19companies1877–1991founding years19still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedOcé N.V.
1877
FoundedHunt Manufacturing Company
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedXerox Corporation
1906
FoundedStandard Register Co.
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedEscalade, Incorporated
1922
FoundedHarris Corporation
1926
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedBrother Industries, Ltd.
1934
FoundedSharp Corporation
1935
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedGrundig AG
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedGeneral Binding Corporation
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedCasio Computer Co., Ltd.
1957
FoundedGoldstar Co., Ltd.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKyocera Corporation
1959
FoundedLockheed Martin Corporation
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedKronos, Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedFranklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSmith Corona Corp.
1985
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.
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

Océ N.V. →
Active · founded 1877 · Netherlands
The Netherlands' Océ N.V.
Hunt Manufacturing Company →
Active · founded 1899
The Hunt Manufacturing Company is a leading producer and distributor of office supplies and arts and crafts products.
Xerox Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
Xerox Corporation, virtually synonymous with photocopying, now touts itself as The Document Company.
Standard Register Co. →
Active · founded 1912
With about ten percent of the $7.3 billion domestic market, the Standard Register Co.
Escalade, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1922
The largest manufacturer of table-tennis tables and pool tables in the world, Escalade, Incorporated manufactures and…
Harris Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
The origin of the Harris Corporation, a leading American electronics company, is actually to be found in the printing…
Brother Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1934 · Japan
Brother Industries, Ltd., is one of the world's top manufacturers of electronic office machines.
Sharp Corporation →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
The Sharp Corporation is one of the largest and oldest Japanese consumer goods manufacturers.
Grundig AG →
Active · founded 1945 · Germany
Grundig AG is a German consumer electronics manufacturer with significant shares in the market for television sets,…
General Binding Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
General Binding Corp.
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1957 · Japan
Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Goldstar Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1958 · Republic of Korea
Goldstar Co., Ltd.
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Lockheed Martin Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
Formed in 1995 via the union of the nation's second- and third-ranking defense contractors, Lockheed Corporation and…
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…
Kronos, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Kronos, Inc.
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Smith Corona Corp. →
Active · founded 1985
Smith Corona is a world-famous designer, manufacturer, and marketer of portable and compact electronic typewriters,…
Lexmark International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Lexmark International, Inc.
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