COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3577

Computer Peripheral Equipment, not elsewhere classified

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

74companies1897–1997founding years72still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedYamaha Corporation
1897
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedVictor Company of Japan, Limited
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedCanon Inc.
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
FoundedControl Data Systems, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKyocera Corporation
1959
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedTelxon Corporation
1967
FoundedEvans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
1968
FoundedNippon Steel Corporation
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedAcer Inc.
1976
FoundedDH Technology, Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedStratus Computer, Inc.
1980
FoundedSystem Software Associates, Inc.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedCatalina Marketing Corporation
1983
FoundedComverse Technology, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSynOptics Communications, Inc.
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedAscend Communications, Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedDiscreet Logic Inc.
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
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

Yamaha Corporation →
Active · founded 1897 · Japan
Yamaha Corporation, one of Japan's most diversified companies, is the world's largest maker of musical instruments.
Yamaha Corporation →
Active · founded 1897 · Japan
Yamaha Corporation, one of Japan's most diversified companies, is the world's largest maker of musical instruments.
Xerox Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
Xerox Corporation, virtually synonymous with photocopying, now touts itself as The Document Company.
Xerox Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
Xerox Corporation, virtually synonymous with photocopying, now touts itself as The Document Company.
Victor Company of Japan, Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · Japan
Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) is one of several Japanese companies that has evolved to dominate the…
Victor Company of Japan, Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · Japan
Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) is one of several Japanese companies that has evolved to dominate the…
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
Canon Inc. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Although it scarcely predates World War II, Canon Inc.
Canon Inc. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Although it scarcely predates World War II, Canon Inc.
Tektronix, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Tektronix, Inc., founded in 1946, is the world's leading manufacturer of oscilloscopes--instruments used to measure and…
Tektronix, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Tektronix, Inc., founded in 1946, is the world's leading manufacturer of oscilloscopes--instruments used to measure and…
Gerber Scientific, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Gerber Scientific, Inc.
Gerber Scientific, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Gerber Scientific, Inc.
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., is one of the few publicly traded venture capital firms in the United States.
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., is one of the few publicly traded venture capital firms in the United States.
Control Data Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Control Data Systems, Inc., (CDSI) provides computer systems integration services to businesses and governments around…
Control Data Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Control Data Systems, Inc., (CDSI) provides computer systems integration services to businesses and governments around…
CalComp Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
CalComp Inc.
CalComp Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
CalComp Inc.
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Aydin Corp. →
Active · founded 1967
A world class provider of products and systems for the acquisition and distribution of information over electronic…
Aydin Corp. →
Active · founded 1967
A world class provider of products and systems for the acquisition and distribution of information over electronic…
Telxon Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
Telxon Corporation is a world leader in the design, manufacture, integration, and marketing of portable and wireless…
Telxon Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
Telxon Corporation is a world leader in the design, manufacture, integration, and marketing of portable and wireless…
Data General Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Data General Corporation is a manufacturer of multi-user computer systems: minicomputers, workstations, and servers.
Data General Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Data General Corporation is a manufacturer of multi-user computer systems: minicomputers, workstations, and servers.
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation is an industry leader in computer graphics, especially in providing realistic…
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation is an industry leader in computer graphics, especially in providing realistic…
Key Tronic Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
The world's largest independent producer of computer keyboards, Key Tronic Corporation manufactures a broad range of…
Key Tronic Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
The world's largest independent producer of computer keyboards, Key Tronic Corporation manufactures a broad range of…
Nippon Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1971 · Japan
As the spearhead of Japan's economic transformation after World War II, Nippon Steel Corporation rose from virtual…
Nippon Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1971 · Japan
As the spearhead of Japan's economic transformation after World War II, Nippon Steel Corporation rose from virtual…
Printronix, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
Irvine, California-based Printronix, Inc.
Printronix, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
Irvine, California-based Printronix, Inc.
Acer Inc. →
Active · founded 1976 · Taiwan
Called "the region's most impressive technology company" in a 1996 article in The Economist, Acer Inc.
Acer Inc. →
Active · founded 1976 · Taiwan
Called "the region's most impressive technology company" in a 1996 article in The Economist, Acer Inc.
Caere Corporation →
Active · founded 1976
Caere Corporation is a worldwide leader in the design, production, and distribution of optical character…
Caere Corporation →
Active · founded 1976
Caere Corporation is a worldwide leader in the design, production, and distribution of optical character…
DH Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
DH Technology, Inc.
DH Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
DH Technology, Inc.
LSI Logic Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
A leading competitor in the customized semiconductor market, LSI Logic Corporation represents a defining force in a…
LSI Logic Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
A leading competitor in the customized semiconductor market, LSI Logic Corporation represents a defining force in a…
Stratus Computer, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Stratus Computer, Inc.
Stratus Computer, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Stratus Computer, Inc.
ENCAD, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1981
ENCAD, Incorporated is an innovator and market leader in the field of wide-format computer inkjet printers.
ENCAD, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1981
ENCAD, Incorporated is an innovator and market leader in the field of wide-format computer inkjet printers.
System Software Associates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
System Software Associates, Inc.
System Software Associates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
System Software Associates, Inc.
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…
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…
Catalina Marketing Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Catalina Marketing Corporation, the parent company of the Catalina Marketing Network, was founded in 1983 by five…
Catalina Marketing Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Catalina Marketing Corporation, the parent company of the Catalina Marketing Network, was founded in 1983 by five…
Everex Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Everex Systems Inc.
Everex Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Everex Systems Inc.
Comverse Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Comverse Technology, Inc.
Comverse Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Comverse Technology, Inc.
Digi International Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Digi International Inc.
Digi International Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Digi International Inc.
SynOptics Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
SynOptics Communications, Inc.
SynOptics Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
SynOptics Communications, Inc.
Madge Networks N.V. →
Active · founded 1986 · England
Madge Networks N.V.
Madge Networks N.V. →
Active · founded 1986 · England
Madge Networks N.V.
Ascend Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Ascend Communications, Inc.
Ascend Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Ascend Communications, Inc.
FORE Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
FORE Systems, Inc.
FORE Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
FORE Systems, Inc.
Discreet Logic Inc. →
Active · founded 1991 · Canada
Montreal-based Discreet Logic Inc.
Discreet Logic Inc. →
Active · founded 1991 · Canada
Montreal-based Discreet Logic Inc.
Lexmark International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Lexmark International, Inc.
Lexmark International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Lexmark International, Inc.
Hayes Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Hayes Corporation is a leading manufacturer in the personal computer (PC) modem industry.
Hayes Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Hayes Corporation is a leading manufacturer in the personal computer (PC) modem industry.
Build It Today

Starting a computer peripheral equipment, not elsewhere classified company now

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