NCR Corporation ( ) is a technology company
specializing in products for the retail, financial, travel,
healthcare, food service, entertainment, gaming and public sector
industries. Its main products are self-service kiosks,
point-of-sale terminals,
automated teller machines,
check processing systems,
barcode scanners, and business consumables.
They also are one of the largest providers of IT maintenance
support services. From 1988 to 1997 they sponsored the
NCR Book Award for non-fiction.
It has its
headquarters in unincorporated
Gwinnett
County
, Georgia
.
The company was founded in 1884 and acquired by
AT&T in 1991. A
restructuring of AT&T in 1996 led to NCR's re-establishment on
1 January 1997 as a separate company, and also involved the
spin-off from AT&T of
Lucent Technologies; NCR is the only
AT&T spin-off that has retained its original name – all others
have either been purchased or renamed following subsequent
mergers.
For the twelve months ending 31 December 2006, NCR Corporation
reported revenues of
US$6.142
billion, with a net income of $382 million.
History
Early years
Antique three-column full-keyboard
cash register
The
company began as the National Manufacturing
Company of Dayton,
Ohio
, which was established to manufacture and sell the
first mechanical cash register,
invented in 1879 by James Ritty.
In 1884 the company and patents were bought by
John Henry
Patterson and his brother
Frank Jefferson Patterson and the
firm was renamed the
National Cash Register
Company. Patterson formed NCR into one of the first modern
American companies, introducing new, aggressive sales methods and
business techniques. He established the first sales training school
in 1893, and introduced a comprehensive social welfare program for
his factory workers.
Other significant figures in the early history of the company were
Charles F. Kettering,
Thomas J. Watson, Sr. and
Edward A. Deeds. Deeds and Kettering went on to found
Delco Electronics which became a
division of
General Motors. Watson
eventually worked his way up to general sales manager. Bent on
inspiring the dispirited NCR sales force, Watson introduced the
motto "THINK!" Signs with this motto were erected in factory
buildings, sales offices, and club rooms during the mid-1890s.
"THINK" later became a widely-known symbol of IBM. Kettering
designed the first cash register powered by an electric motor in
1906. Within a few years he developed the Class 1000 register which
was in production for 40 years, and the O.K. Telephone Credit
Authorization system for verifying credit in department
stores.
Expansion
NCR expanded quickly and became multi-national in 1888. Between
1893 and 1906 it acquired a number of smaller cash register
companies.
By 1911 it had sold one million machines and grown to almost 6,000
employees. Combined with rigorous legal attacks, Patterson's
methods enabled the company to fight off, bankrupt or buy-out over
80 of its early competitors and achieve control of 95% of the U.S.
market.
In 1912, the company was found guilty of violating the
Sherman Antitrust Act. Patterson,
Deeds, Watson, and 25 other NCR executives and managers were
convicted for illegal anti-competitive sales practices and were
sentenced to one year of imprisonment. Their convictions were
unpopular with the public due to the efforts of Patterson and
Watson to help those affected by the Dayton, Ohio
floods of 1913, but efforts to have them
pardoned by President
Woodrow Wilson
were unsuccessful. However, their convictions were overturned on
appeal in 1915 on the grounds that important defense evidence
should have been admitted.
Two million units were sold by 1922, the year John Patterson died.
In 1925 the company went public with an issue of $55 million in
stock, at that time the largest public offering in United States
history. During
World War I the company
manufactured
shell fuzes and
aircraft instrumentation, and during
World
War II built aero-engines, bomb sights and code-breaking
machines, including the American
bombe
designed by
Joseph Desch.
Post-war
Computer NCR 304
Building on their wartime experience, NCR became a major post-war
force in developing new technology. In 1953, following their
acquisition of
Computer
Research Corporation the previous year, the company created a
specialised electronics division. In 1956, NCR introduced its first
electronic device, the Class 29 Post-Tronic, a bank machine using
magnetic stripe technology. With
GE the company manufactured its
first
transistor-based computer in 1957,
the
NCR 304.
Also in the 1950s NCR introduced MICR (
Magnetic Ink Character
Recognition). In 1962, NCR introduced the
NCR-315 Electronic Data Processing System which
included the
CRAM storage device, the first
automated
mass storage alternative to
magnetic tape libraries accessed
manually by computer operators. The
NCR
390 and 500 computers were also offered to customers who did
not need the full power of the 315. The company's first
all-
integrated circuit computer
was the
Century 100 of 1968. The Century
200 was added in 1970. The line was extended through the Century
300, NCR's first multiprocessor system. The Century series was
followed by the Criterion series in 1976, NCR's first virtual
machine system.
During this period NCR also produced the 605 minicomputer for
in-house use. It was the compute engine for the 399 and 499
accounting machines, several generations of in-store and in-bank
controllers, and the 82xx/90xx IMOS COBOL systems. The 605 also
powered peripheral controllers, including the 658 disk subsystem
and the 721 communications processor.
By 1986 the number of mainframe makers had dropped from 8 (IBM and
the "seven dwarfs') to 6 (IBM and the "
BUNCH")
to 4: IBM,
Unisys, NCR, and
Control Data Corporation.
The company adopted the name
NCR Corporation in
1974.
Small computers
In 1982, NCR became involved in
open systems architecture. Its
first such system was the
UNIX-powered TOWER
16/32, the success of which (approximately 100,000 were sold)
established NCR as a pioneer in bringing industry standards and
open systems architecture to the computer market. These 5000-series
systems were based on
Motorola 680xx
CPUs and supported NCR's proprietary
transaction processing system
TMX, which was
mainly used by financial institutions.
In the 1980s, NCR sold various
PC
compatible AT-class
computers, like the
small form
factor NCR-3390 (called an "intelligent terminal"). They
proposed a customized version of
MS-DOS,
NCR-DOS, which for example offered support for switching the CPU
between 6, 8 or 10 MHz speeds. The computers featured an improved
CGA adapter, the NGA, which
had a 640×400 text mode more suitable for business uses than the
original 640x200 mode, with characters drawn using
single-pixel-wide lines, giving an appearance similar to that of
classic IBM 3270 terminals. The additional four-color 640×400
graphical mode was identical to CGA's 320×200 mode from a
programming point of view.
In 1990,
NCR introduced the System 3000, a seven-level family of computers
based on Intel
's 386 and 486
CPUs. The majority of the System 3000 range utilised IBM's
Micro Channel
architecture rather than the more prevalent ISA architecture,
and utilised
SCSI peripherals as well as the
more popular parallel and serial port interfaces, resulting in a
premium product with premium pricing.
Automated Teller Machines
Automated Teller Machines
(ATMs) are now NCR's principal product line.
NCR had made its first
ATM in the late 1970s with widespread installations of the model
770 in National
Westminster and Barclays Banks
throughout the UK, but it was not until the Model 5070, developed
at its Dundee
plant in
Scotland
and
introduced in 1983 that the company began to make more serious
inroads into the ATM market. Subsequent models included the
5084,
56xx, and
58xx (Personas) series. In early 2008 the company
launched its new generation of ATMs - the 662x/663x SelfServ
series. NCR currently commands over a third of the entire ATM
market, with an estimated $18 trillion being withdrawn from NCR
ATMs every year. In addition, NCR's expertise in this field lead
the company to contract with the
U.S.
Military to support the
Eagle Cash program with customized ATMs.
NCR 5xxx series
The
NCR 5xxx-series is the range of (ATM's)
produced by NCR from the early 1980s.
Most models were
designed and initially manufactured at its Dundee factory in
Scotland, but later
produced at several other locations around the world.
There have been several distinct generations:
- 50xx-series; The initial models introduced in
1983 were the 5070 (interior vestibule) and
5080 (Through The Wall or TTW) introduced a number
of features which have become standard among ATM's - chiefly the
individual functions of the ATM are divided among discrete modules
which can be easily removed and replaced for repair or
replenishment. The 5080 featured the standard anti-vandal smoked
perspex screen which covered the keypad and screen until the
cardholder inserted their card. The enhanced 5084
TTW model appeared in 1987, and had an improved anti-vandal fascia
and was the first ATM to dispense with the need for the retracting
perspex screen. The 5085 offered the first crude
deposit function; with the machine supplying the desposit envelopes
which were subsequently stored in the machine's safe for subsequent
back office processing.
- 56xx-series; produced from 1991 to 1997.
Enhanced functions such as colour displays and improved security
and usability functions became available. The introduction of Media
Entry Indicators (MEI) which highlight the card entry slot to the
customer was also a part of this series. Some 56xx machines
produced between 1994–1996 were badged as
AT&T rather than NCR, mirroring the company's
brief ownership under the telecoms giant in the mid 1990s. 56xx
models have included the
5670 (interior lobby cash
dispense only),
5675 (interior lobby multifunction
- dispense & deposit),
5684 (exterior TTW
dispense only) and
5685 (exterior TTW
multifunction).
- 58xx-series marketed as
Personas from 1998 to the present. These models
were characterised by the gradual move towards greater ATM
functionality including intelligent, envelopeless deposit by means
of automated cheque recognition modules, coin dispense, and
electronic cash recognition functions which allows bank customers
to deposit cash and cheques with instant processing of the
transaction. The 58xx series has also been characterised by the
gradual introduction of LCD displays instead of
the traditional CRT monitor. Models
have included the 5870 (compact interior lobby
dispense only), 5873 (interior lobby with cash
accept & deposit only), 5874 (Exterior TTW
cash dispense), 5875 (Multifunction TTW). The
latest TTW versions of the Personas line, introduced in 2000 and
marketed as M-Series added functions such as cash
recycling, coin dispense, barcode reading, a larger 12" LCD display
with touchscreen option, and for the first time, a common wall
footprint for both the Multifunction (5886) or
single function (5887).
NCR 66XX series
NCR's 6th generation of ATMs have been noted for the further move
towards intelligent deposit and the expansion of secondary
functions such as barcode reading.
- 667x-series marketed under the
Personas M-Series brand were introduced in 2005 to
the present. These models consist of the 6676
(interior lobby multifunction) and 6674
(through-the-wall multifunction). The outlook design is very
different from the Personas model; on the front-access 6676s the
front cover is opened upwards which claim to be saving the services
area.
NCR Self-Serv 20 & 30 series
NCR's latest ATM services, introduced in 2008.
This series is a complete redesign of both outlook and
technological contents.
Self-Serv 20 series are single-function (e.g. cash-out) ATMs, while
Self-Serv 30 series are full-function (cash-out and intelligent
deposit) machines.
Self-Serv models are (Sep.2009):
6622 (interior
lobby single-function, small footprint);
6625
(through-the-wall single-function);
6626
(through-the-wall version of 6622);
6631 (interior
lobby deposit-only, small footprint);
6632
(interior lobby full-function);
6634
(through-the-wall version of 6632);
6636
(through-the-wall version of 6631);
6638 (drive-up
full-function).
AT&T
NCR was acquired September 19, 1991 by
AT&T for $7.4 billion and was joined with
Teradata Corporation on February 28, 1992.
As an AT&T subsidiary, its 1992 year-end headcount was 53,800
employees and contractors. By 1993, the subsidiary produced a
year-end $1.287 billion
net loss on $7.265
billion in revenue. The net losses continued in 1994 and 1995,
losses that required repeated subsidies from the parent company and
resulted in a 1995 year-end headcount of 41,100. During these three
years, AT&T was the former NCR's largest customer, accounting
for over $1.5 billion in revenue.
In this period, the company sold its microelectronics division and
storage systems division to
Hyundai which
named it
Symbios Logic. At the time it
was the largest purchase of an American company by a Korean
company.
For a while, starting in 1994, the subsidiary was renamed
AT&T Global Information Solutions, but in
1995, AT&T decided to spin off the company, and in 1996,
changed its name back to NCR in preparation for a
spin-off. The company outlined its reasons for the
spin-off in an Information Statement sent to its stockholders,
which cited, in addition to "changes in customer needs" and "need
for focused management time and attention", the following:
- ...[A]dvantages of vertical
integration [which had motivated ATT's earlier acquisition of
NCR] are outweighed by its costs and disadvantages....[T]o varying
degrees, many of the actual and potential customers of Lucent and
NCR are or will be competitors of AT&T's communications
services businesses. NCR believes that its efforts to target the
communications industry have been hindered by the reluctance of
AT&T's communications services competitors to make purchases
from an AT&T subsidiary.
NCR re-emerged as a stand-alone company on January 1, 1997.
Independence
One of
NCR's first significant acquisitions after becoming independent
from AT&T came in July 1997 when it purchased Compris Technologies, a privately held
company in Kennesaw,
Georgia
that produced software for restaurant
chains. In November 1997, NCR purchased Dataworks
Inc., a 60-person privately held company in San Antonio,
Texas
.
The
Montgomery
County Historical Society and NCR Corporation joined in 1998
into an innovative partnership committed to preserving the
voluminous NCR Archive. For more than three months in late 1999,
trucks traveled between NCR's Building 28 and the Historical
Society's Research Center, bringing the three million pieces of
this extraordinary collection to its new home.
In 1998, NCR sold its computer hardware manufacturing assets to
Solectron and ceased to produce
general-purpose computer systems, focusing instead on the retail
and financial industries. In 2000, NCR acquired
CRM provider
Ceres Integrated Solutions and
services company
4Front
Technologies. Recent acquisitions include self-service
companies
Kinetics,
InfoAmerica and
Galvanon, and software company
DecisionPoint. In 2006, NCR acquired software
company
IDVelocity and the ATM
manufacturing division of
Tidel, a cash
security equipment manufacturer specializing in retail
markets.
Today,
NCR's R&D activity is split between its three major centres in
Atlanta
USA (Retail), Dundee, Scotland
(Financial Industry), and Waterloo, Canada
.
It also
has R&D centres in Puducherry
and Hyderabad
in India
.http://www.business-standard.com/india/news//india-to-betest-bed-for-global-roll-outs//371087/
NCR also has a manufacturing facility at Puducherry in India, which
is a regional manufacturing and export hub.
Recent developments
On January 8, 2007, NCR announced its intention to separate into
two independent companies by spinning off
Teradata to shareholders. Bill Nuti will continue
in his current role as president and CEO of NCR, while Teradata
Senior VP Mike Koehler will assume leadership of Teradata.
[12549]
On 1 October 2007, NCR Corporation and Teradata jointly announced
the Teradata business unit spin-off was complete, with Michael
Kohler as the first CEO of Teradata.
[12550]
On
January 11, 2007, NCR announced plans to restructure its entire ATM
manufacturing operations, with 650 jobs at its Dundee plant being
cut [12551] A further 450 jobs were cut in Waterloo
, Ontario
, Canada. In
2009 , the Dundee manufacturing facility was closed , citing global
economic conditions as the reason
NCR extended its self-service portfolio into the digital media
market with the Januaryannouncement of NCR Xpress Entertainment, a
next-generation multichannel entertainmentkiosk solution. The
launch of NCR Xpress Entertainment follows NCR’s acquisition of
TouchAutomation LLC on Dec. 31, 2007.
[12552]
On
October 15, 2008, NCR announced a global reseller partnership with
Experticity, a Seattle
-based software company.[12553] NCR can now supplement its existing
suite of technology offerings with the industry's first
market-proven in-store video customer support solution.
According to Richard Arnold, NCR Vice President, Retail Industry
Marketing, "Experticity's innovative live video technology paired
with flexible and robust self-service kiosks from NCR provides
retailers with a way to redefine the in-store experience for their
customers, while also improving business efficiencies by optimizing
staffing resources."
On June
2, 2009, NCR announced a plan to relocate its corporate
headquarters from Dayton, OH to Duluth, GA
. [12554] "The decision to consolidate functions
in Georgia and build a technology focused corporate headquarters
campus is right in line with our business strategy to drive growth,
improve our innovation output, increase productivity and
continually upgrade our focus on the customer," said Bill Nuti,
NCR’s chairman and chief executive officer.
Management
- Interim CEO: Jim Ringler (2005)
- Interim CEO: Bill O'Shea (1995)
- Interim CEO: Gil Williamson (1993)
Products
Hardware
Software
Services
Obsolete
References
- " Contact NCR." NCR Corporation. Retrieved on November
29, 2009.
- Information Statement dated November 25, 1996, furnished to
AT&T shareholders of record
- NCR Corp. to buy Compris Technologies, a July
1997 article from the Atlanta Business
Chronicle
- NCR Corp. buys Dataworks software firm, a
November 1997 article from the Dayton
Business Journal
- http://www.ncr.com/en/media_information/2006/jan/pr010506.htm
(the page doesn't exist anymore)
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search