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Endicott chronology

1971-1979

1970

  • April 8 -- Two SDD engineers publicly report on a new Complex Optical Phase-Implemented filter that lets optical engineers change the phase and amplitude of light waves as easily as electrical engineers filter electrical signals.

  • June 30 -- Thousands of SDD men and women in Endicott, San Jose, Poughkeepsie and Kingston, play a role in the announcement of the IBM System/370. A major feature of the new system is the IBM 3211 high speed printer, which had been developed by Endicott. In addition to manufacturing the 3211, SMD Endicott is responsible for other peripheral equipment used with the IBM System/370, including the IBM 3215 console printer, the IBM 3216 type cartridge, IBM 2821 Model 6 control unit, and IBM 3210 Model 1 and Model 2 console printers. Circuit Package Manufacturing (CPM) at Endicott and Owego will supply logic and memory cards, boards and cables required for the 370's Monolithic Systems Technology (MST). CPM also developed sophisticated processes and testing techniques to facilitate manufacture of the advanced memory packages in System/370.

  • IBM System/370 Model 145 September 23 -- The IBM System/370 Model 145 is announced as the first computer to use monolithic circuits for all memory and logic functions. The SDD Laboratory developed the new product and SMD will assemble, test and ship the machine. CD Laboratory people played a key role in developing advanced packaging techniques for the system's monolithic circuitry, and the Circuit Package Manufacturing organization is responsible for the cards and boards of the 145's internal componentry. Site general manager Fredin calls the 145 "one of the most important contributions Endicott has ever made to the company's product line."

  • The IBM 2319 disk storage facility, announced at the same time, is an example of inter-lab cooperation, as it is a joint development of the San Jose product engineering and Endicott product development groups.

1971

  • January 19 -- The Endicott laboratory develops an experimental computer-aided logic packaging and partitioning technique to provide computer designers with a tool for partitioning a broad spectrum of logic packages used in computer.

  • February -- Endicott operates as a product development and testing site for SDD, a manufacturing site for CD and a manufacturing site for SMD.

  • April 20 -- Two Endicott lab researchers report that a new type of magnetic actuator with several desirable characteristics had resulted from the exploitation of reluctance torque phenomena normally associated with stepper motors.

  • April 21 -- Two other Endicott researchers publicly describe a mathematical "wear model" to help engineers in relating all of the parameters affecting wearability in the design of parts.

  • May -- A terminal developed at SDD Kingston for the IBM 3270 information display system is announced, for which Endicott designed a printer to make quick copies of the displayed information.

  • June 23 -- SMD says that it will ship the first IBM System/370 Model 145 from the Endicott plant to its customer in July, more than a month ahead of schedule. The division also publicly describes how the Endicott plant uses a twin IBM System/360 Model 50 installation for real time monitoring of the manufacturing of Monolithic Systems Technology and Solid Logic Technology circuit cards and boards, an IBM 2790 data communication system to improve manufacturing floor control, and a modified IBM System/360 Model 30 to maintain critical "flight time" adjustments on the hammer unit in the IBM 3211 printer, used with the System/370 and most System/360s.

  • Late in the summer -- The Systems Manufacturing Division plants in Endicott and Kingston have more work than they can handle. A call goes out for volunteers to man the production lines for about three months. Some 175 Systems Development Division people from Kingston, Poughkeepsie and Endicott respond, and by October are working in a variety of manufacturing assignments.

  • November 9 -- A staff engineer at the Endicott laboratory is awarded a patent for a simple technique for making high fidelity replicas of holograms on a large scale and at low cost.

1972

  • January 25 -- The Endicott lab publicly describes how engineers who had developed the IBM 3211 printer devised a built-in jet air stream and vacuum cleaner to clear lint from the print mechanism.

  • February -- The IBM 2927 programmable tape to printer developed by SDD Endicott is shipped to Aetna Life and Casualty Company in Hartford.

  • March 10 -- Two engineers at the lab devise an efficient way of reconstructing holographic images with simple light sources.

  • August 21 -- The company announces the IBM 2991 blood cell processor -- a machine to automatically wash the preserving additives from thawed packed red blood cells -- which was developed at IBM's laboratory in Endicott, N.Y., and is manufactured and marketed by the IBM Information Records Division (IRD).

  • September 19 -- A new SDD -- with a singularized name: IBM System Development Division -- is created as a new component of the Data Processing Product Group and given worldwide responsibility for systems definition, architecture and systems management of IBM's principal computer product lines and for systems programming; along with worldwide development and U.S. manufacturing responsibility for communications products, terminals and displays. In its new alignment, the System Development Division is responsible for operating IBM facilities in Raleigh, N.C. and Manassas, Va., and the laboratory at Kingston, N.Y. It also has operations at IBM facilities in Poughkeepsie and Endicott; San Jose; and Boulder, Colo.; Gaithersburg, Md.; and Rochester, Minn. SMD's functions are merged into the newly-formed General Products, System Development and System Products Divisions (SPD). SPD is given responsibility for worldwide development and U.S. manufacturing of larger central processor products, including main storage, logic circuitry, channels and cables. SPD operates manufacturing and development facilities in Endicott.

1973

  • May -- The company announces the IBM 3890 document processor, which was developed by SDD engineers at Endicott.

  • May -- Manufacturing responsibility for the matrix printer is transferred from Endicott to SDD in Raleigh.

  • July -- The North Street Laboratory marks its 40th anniversary. The lab now houses about 200 employees from the Endicott lab's small systems and I/O packaging products and advanced packaging products teams.

1974

  • September 6 -- Some 8,500 members of the Endicott and Owego Quarter Century Clubs and their guests attend a Golden Anniversary Quarter Century Club celebration at the IBM Country Club.

  • The site employs about 6,000 people.

  • IBM System/370 Model 135 Endicott produces the IBM System/370 Model 135 and Model 145 processors; and the IBM 5203, IBM 3203 and the IBM 3211 printers.

  • The newest addition to the Endicott lineup is the IBM 3890 document processor.

  • Endicott also manufactures printed circuit packages for use in IBM products manufactured throughout the United States.

  • The Glendale lab develops such products as computer processors, system control programs, terminal and system printers, character recognition systems, systems tailored for specific applications and bioengineering systems.

1975

  • Endicott is one of GPD's four development sites around the world.

  • May 29 -- The IBM System Communications Division (SCD) is formed. The new division conducts development activities at Endicott (an SPD location with SCD missions including recognition systems, terminal printers and industry systems).

1976

  • June 17 -- The IBM 2821 control unit manufacturing mission is transferred from Kingston to Endicott.

1977

  • Manufacturing, engineering and support functions occupy approximately three million square feet of space on the site.
    The newest addition to the Endicott roster is the IBM 3895 document reader/inscriber, which optically reads handwritten numbers on checks.

  • March -- Endicott operates as a product development and testing site for SPD, GPD and SCD; and a manufacturing site for SPD.

  • August -- IBM says that SPD Endicott is to continue to provide current and future packaging support for both the IBM General Business Group and the IBM Data Processing Product Group.

  • October 12 -- IRD announces the IBM 2997 blood cell separator. It had been developed in Endicott and is manufactured by IRD in Princeton, N.J.

1978

  • June 28 -- IBM announces plans to build a development laboratory and manufacturing plant near Charlotte, N.C., to be operated by SCD. Built on 701 acres, the new facility will consolidate SCD's Industry Systems development activities then located in Endicott, Kingston and Los Gatos, and provide additional manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand. At the same time, IBM says that assembly and test operations for selected logic cards used primarily in SCD products will transfer from the System Products Division's Endicott facility to the Charlotte site.

  • October 3 -- IBM introduces the IBM 3630 plant communication system. The system and its terminals -- such as the IBM 3646 and IBM 3641 Model 2 -- had been developed by SCD at the Endicott lab.

1979

  • IBM Endicott tops all other IBM locations in 1979 by saving $66.5 million, a 33 percent increase in the site's performance over the previous year.

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