Assembly - November 2008 - (Page 29) a rural area 60 miles north of New York City and began making munitions and other items to support the war effort. In 1948, IBM built a new plant nearby and started mass-producing electric typewriters. Data processing products, such as key punches and sorters, were added to the production mix a few years later. The IBM 701, the company’s first mass-produced electronic computer, was assembled in Poughkeepsie starting in 1952. As the decade progressed, the 700-series of vacuum-tube machines helped spur corporate America’s transition from punched-card machines to electronic computers. In the late 1950s, IBM engineers built the world’s first fully automatic production line for transistors in Poughkeepsie. It produced and tested 1,800 individual transistors an hour. Assemblers in Poughkeepsie began building the revolutionary System/360 mainframe in 1964. It was the first large “family” of computers to use interchangeable software and peripheral equipment. A company could start with a small computer and plug in others as its needs grew without having to buy new software. The popular System/360 also played an important behind-thescenes role in the U.S. space program by monitoring and guiding Apollo flights at mission control in Houston. Despite all of that success and proud heritage, IBM hit a rough patch in the early 1990s after weathering a decade of change wrought by the PC revolution that it helped usher in. But, the company successfully transformed itself by focusing on integrated solutions and enterprise IT architectures that support network computing. Today, IBM has three major business segments: hardware, software and business services. Although many companies in the computer industry have outsourced hardware production, IBM still chooses to build its high- ASSEMBLY TECHNOLOGIES Lower Cost Operations Decreased • Energy Usage • Product Damage • Work Hazards Right Angle Nut Runners Up to 40 N•m Dependable Performance • Consistent Repeatability • High Endurance 2-Piece Motors Up to 12 N•m Advanced Technologies • Battery Management Systems • Variable Torque Impacts Pistol Grip Screwdrivers User Friendly • LED Lamps • Easily Serviced • Ergonomic Design Cordless Solutions for Manufacturing Because servers cost millions of dollars, each order makes a substantial impact on IBM’s financial performance. Up to 200 N•m Impact Tools Makita USA, Inc. 14930 Northam St., La Mirada, CA 90638 (800) 4-MAKITA makitaassemblytools.com www.assemblymag.com November 2008 / ASSE M B LY 29 http://www.makitaassemblytools.com http://www.makitaassemblytools.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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