Competitors

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In the early days of the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, competitors were absorbed before they could establish a strong market position.  Mergers and acquisitions became so common at Burroughs that it drew the attention of the government. There were legal challenges to some of the acquisitions and the way they were accomplished. 

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The Burroughs Adding Machine Company seemed to have identified new companies like the Pike Adding Machine Company, Universal Accounting Machine Company, Moon-Hopkins Billing Machine Company, and several others, because of the quality and functionality (and no doubt potential future competition of their inventions) as takeover candidates.

 

Clearly if one reviews the types of machines on the market, machines of like construction and operation to the Burroughs product line seemed to have a better market potential and market acceptance than other construction types, such as the slide keyboard or stylus wheel.  Clearly, these potential competitors seem to have been targeted to eliminate the potential competition.

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One company, the Felt and Tarrant Company, presented a substantial challenge to Burroughs from the early beginnings of the American Arithmometer Company. A well established company early on, there was little chance that Burroughs could acquire this competitor.

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Felt and Tarrant, later to become the Comptometer Corporation, challenged Burroughs for market dominance in the adding machine market for many years (until about 1925).  After that time, while Felt and Tarrant continued to flourish, Burroughs product line and market presence propelled it ahead in the market in most areas.

 

Nevertheless, although the "key-driven calculator" (as it was called at Burroughs), and the Comptometer (as it was called at Felt and Tarrant) continued to share the marketplace in a head to head, aggressive battle for the fast, non-printing (non-listing) marketplace.  The battle took the shape of the PC vs. MAC competition of today. Almost emotional in nature. There were articles and books written about which of the companies had actually invented the adding machine, and which machine was truly the leader and the most functional.

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Critical to the competition with Felt & Tarrant was the printing capability of the adding machines.  While Felt & Tarrant clearly invented the key driven machine, which it is fair to say Burroughs copied to a great degree, the printing adding machine was always the domain of Burroughs. Felt & Tarrant tried to round out their competitive line with a printing machine It was brought to market late and never enjoyed the success of their non-printing Comptometer. This product feature issue, more than anything, seemed to be the hallmark of the Felt and Tarrant Company's long term inability to successfully expand their product line to match their rival, the Burroughs Adding Machine Company.

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It should be noted that from before the turn of the century until the 1960s, Burroughs key driven machines were found side by side with the Comptometer in businesses worldwide. 

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National Cash Register was another important competitor, especially in the later years. National was the undisputed leader in the cash register business and in later years built adding machines and accounting machines.  Both, especially the accounting machines, proved to be strong competition to Burroughs and interestingly, even later, the Burroughs predecessor company Unisys competes with National Cash Register (NCR today) in the information services business.