HP
 | |
| Type: | Public |
| Industry: | Computer & Information Technology |
| Founded: | 1939 |
| Founder(s): | Bill Hewlett Dave Packard |
| Headquarters: | Palo Alto, California |
| Country: | USA |
| Employees: | 324,600 [1] |
| Revenue: | $125.6 billlion as of 2010 [2] |
| Website: | www.hp.com |
| Facebook: | HP |
| LinkedIn: | Hewlett Packard |
| Twitter: |  @HP
|
| Key People | |
| Meg Whitman, President & CEO | |
Hewlett-Packard (HP) is an information technology company which offers a wide range of products, services and IT infrastructure solutions worldwide. The company serves more than 1 billion consumers located in 170 countries and employs more than 324,600 individuals. In 2010, HP ranked 11 at the Fortune 500 Ranking. HP also recorded a total revenue of $126 billion as of October 2011. It's headquarters is located in Palo Alto, California.[3]
Timelime
The following historical events are based from Hewlett and Packard Company Interactive Historical Timeline.[4]
- 1939- Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, both students from Stanford University established the Hewlett and Packard Company in a rented garage at Palo Alto, California with an initial capital of $538 and a used drill press. HP's first product was an audio oscillator. Walt Disney Company was the first customer to purchase 8 HP Model 200B oscillators, which were used to show the animated film Fantasia in 1940.
- 1940- HP moved their operation and rented a building in Palo Alto and issued the first Christmas bonuses to their employees worth $5. The company adopted the production bonus, which became the foundation of the company's profit sharing program. The company also entered the microwave industry and built its first audio signal generator.
- 1947- The company was incorporated on August 18. Dave Packard became the president of the company while Bill Hewlett served as vice-president.
- 1950- HP invented the fast frequency counter
- 1956- The company manufactured its first oscilloscopes
- 1957- HP went public on November 6 with an initial public offering of $16 per share. Employees in the company with 6 month service received Stock grant and became eligible in the company's stock option program. The company also started building its new headquarters located at Stanford Industrial Park in Palo Alto.
- 1958- The company acquired F.L. Moseley Company. manufacturer of graphic recorders. The acquisition became the foundation of HP's printing business.
- 1959- HP started its international operation. The company built a manufacturing plant in Germany and established its marketing organization in Switzerland.
- 1960- The company was listed in the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HWP.
- 1961- The company acquired Sanborn Company and entered in the medical industry.
- 1962- HP ranked 460 in the Fortune 500 list.
- 1963- The HP 5100A frequency synthesizer was launched in the market. The product is used in deep-space vehicles. During the same year, the company signed a joint venture with the Yokogawa Company to enter the Asian Market. The Yokogawa-Hewlett Packard in Tokyo was formed.
- 1964- Dave Packard became Chairman and CEO of the company was Bill Hewlett was named president. The HP 5060A atomic clock was also introduced in the market. The product was the first accurate standard for international time.
- 1966- The company opened its HO Laboratories with Barney Oliver as the Founding Director. The company also introduced its first computer product, the HP 2116A.
- 1968- HP introduced HP 9100A, the first desktop scientific calculator
- 1969- Dave Packard was appointed as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and served the country until 1972. Hewlett served as CEO of the company.
- 1970- HP became the world leader in laser interferometer market after inventing the laser interferometer capable of taking infinitesimal measurements.
- 1972- The company entered the computing business and introduced the HP 3000 distributed data processing.The HP-35, the first hand-held scientific calculator was also introduced,
- 1974- HP introduced the first minicomputer based on 4K dynamic random access memory chips (DRAM) and HP-65, the first programmable pocket calculator.
- 1975 - The electronics industry adopted the HP interface bus as an international standard to allow instruments to connect easily to a computer.
- 1977- Bill Young was appointed president of the company. Packard remained chairman and Hewlett as CEO of the company. The company also launched the wrist instrument,a digital wrist watch, calculator and personal calendar.