List of mergers and acquisitions by IBM

IBM has undergone a large number of mergers and acquisitions during a corporate history lasting over a century; the company has also produced a number of spinoffs during that time.

The acquisition date listed is the date of the agreement between IBM and the subject of the acquisition. The value of each acquisition is listed in USD because IBM is based in the United States. If the value of an acquisition is not listed, then it is undisclosed.

Precursors 1889–1910

Herman Hollerith initially did business under his own name, as The Hollerith Electric Tabulating System, specialising in punched card data processing equipment.[1] In 1896 he incorporated as the Tabulating Machine Company.

1889 Bundy Manufacturing Company incorporated.
1891 Computing Scale Company incorporated.
1893 Dey Patents Company (soon renamed the Dey Time Register Company) incorporated.
1894 Willard & Frick Manufacturing Company (Rochester, New York) incorporated.
1896
Detroit Automatic Scale Company incorporated.
Hollerith incorporates the Tabulating Machine Company. Will be reincorporated in 1905.
1899 Standard Time Stamp Company acquired by Bundy Manufacturing Company.
1900
International Time Recording Company incorporated, acquiring the time-recording business of the Bundy Manufacturing Company and the Willard & Frick Manufacturing Company (Rochester).
Chicago Time-Register Company acquired by International Time Recording Company.
Dayton Moneyweight Scale Company acquired by Computing Scale Company.
Detroit Automatic Scale Company acquired by Computing Scale Company.
1905 Hollerith reincorporates as The Tabulating Machine Company.[2]
1907 Dey Time Register Company acquired by International Time Recording Company.
1908 Syracuse Time Recorder Company acquired by International Time Recording Company.

Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, 1911

Since the 1960s or earlier, IBM has described its formation as a merger of three companies: The Tabulating Machine Company (1880s origin in Washington, DC), the International Time Recording Company (ITR; 1900, Endicott), and the Computing Scale Company of America (1901, Dayton, Ohio).[3][4][5] However, there was no merger, it was an amalgamation, and an amalgamation of four, not three, companies.[6] The 1911 CTR stock prospectus states that the Bundy Manufacturing Company was also included.[7] While ITR had acquired its time recording business in 1900 Bundy had remained a separate entity producing an adding machine and other wares.

CTR owned the stock of the four companies; CTR neither produced nor sold any product; the four companies continued to operate, as before, under their own names.

The Tabulating Machine Company
Computing Scale Corporation
International Time Recording Company
Bundy Manufacturing Company

Acquisitions during 1912–1999

1912–1929

1917
American Automatic Scale Company acquired as International Scale Company.
CTR consolidates three already-existing Canadian companies: The Canadian Tabulating Machine Co., Ltd, the International Time Recording Co. of Canada, Ltd., and the Computing Scale Co. of Canada, Ltd., in a new holding company, International Business Machines Co., Ltd.[8]
1921
Pierce Accounting Machine Company (asset purchase).
Ticketograph Company (of Chicago).
1923
Dehomag [9]
1924
CTR was renamed "IBM".

1930–1949

1930 Automatic Accounting Scale Company.
1932 National Counting Scale Company.
1933 The separate companies were integrated in 1933 as IBM and the holding company eliminated.[10]
1933 Electromatic Typewriters Inc. (See: IBM Electromatic typewriter)
1941 Munitions Manufacturing Corporation.

1950–1969

1959 Pierce Wire Recorder Corporation.
1964 Science Research Associates.

1970–1989

1974 CML Satellite Corporation; renamed Satellite Business Systems (SBS).
1984 ROLM
1986 RealCom Communications Corporation.

1990–1999

1993
CGI Informatique (France), bought in 1993, ran independently until 1996, and was then progressively absorbed by IBM, country by country, this process being achieved in 1999.
1994
Transarc (Transarc Corporation bought by IBM in 1994, became part of IBM proper in 1999 as the IBM Pittsburgh Lab)[11]
1995
Lotus Development Corporation for $3.5 billion.
Information Systems Management Canada (ISM Canada)
K3 Group Ltd.
Chrysler Systems Leasing (February 1995)
1996
Wilkerson Group
Tivoli Systems, Inc. for $743 million.
Data Sciences Ltd, prior to 1991 comprising Thorn EMI Software, Datasolve and the Corporate Management Services Division of Thorn EMI, for £95 million.
Object Technology International (OTI) is acquired by IBM
Cyclade Consultants (Netherlands)
Fairway Technologies
Professional Data Management, Inc. / LifePRO[12]
1997
Software Artistry for $200 million.
Unison Software.
Dominion Semiconductor (Manassas, VA) is created by forming a 50/50 joint venture with Toshiba to produce 64MB and 256MB DRAM chips. Administrative offices are located in Building 131 the former IBM Federal Systems campus now primarily owned by Lockheed Martin; the new state-of-the-art fabrication facility was built from on adjacent land.
1998
CommQuest Technologies.
DataBeam Corporation, Lexington, KY
Ubique Ltd., Israel
1999
Dascom Technologies (USA), A subsidiary of Dascom Holdings.
Mylex Corporation.
Sequent Computer Systems for $810 million.

Acquisitions from 2000 - 2019

Number of acquisitions per year according to table below:

In 2019 IBM acquired 1 company
In 2018 IBM acquired 3 companies
In 2017 IBM acquired 3 companies
In 2016 IBM acquired 12 companies
In 2015 IBM acquired 13 companies
In 2014 IBM acquired 4 companies
In 2013 IBM acquired 9 companies
In 2012 IBM acquired 9 companies
In 2011 IBM acquired 8 companies

Acquisitions since 2020