List of Defunct HDD Manufacturers

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List of defunct hard disk manufacturers

At least 221 companies were HDD manufacturers in the past. Most of that industry has vanished through bankruptcy or mergers and acquisitions. None of the first four entrants continue in the industry today. As shown in the graphic below surviving manufacturers are Seagate, Toshiba and Western Digital, all of whom grew at least in part through mergers and acquisitions.

Some of the defunct manufacturers include:
• Amcodyne
• Ampex
• Anelex Corp.
• Areal Technology – acquired by Tomen Corp in 1993
• Aura Associates
• Avatar Systems
• BASF
• Bryant Computer Products
• Burroughs Corporation – merged with Sperry Corporation to form Unisys in 1986
• Castlewood Systems
• Caelus Memories, Inc.
• CalComp
• Calluna Technologies
• Century Data
• Comport
• Computer Memories Inc. (CMI) – left industry in 1986
• Computer Memory Technology (CMT)
• Conner Peripherals – merged with Seagate in 1996
• Control Data Corporation (CDC) / Imprimis Technology – sold hard disk drive business to Seagate in 1989
• Cornice LLC – bankrupt in 2007
• Data General Corporation
• Data Products Corp.
• Data Recording Instruments (DRI)
• Dataplay (DPHI, DaTARIUS)
• Diablo Systems – became Diablo Data Systems in 1972
• Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) – sold hard disk drive business to Quantum Corporation in 1994
• DZU (of Bulgaria) – converted from government-owned to private, and sold to Videoton_(company) in 1999
• ExcelStor Technology – left industry
• Fuji Electric
• Fujitsu – HDD division acquired by Toshiba in July 2009
• General Electric (GE)
• Gigastorage
• Hewlett-Packard (HP) – 1976 to 1996, left industry
• Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) – 2002 merger of Hitachi and IBM disk drive businesses, sold to Western Digital in 2012 with part of 3.5-inch manufacturing facilities going to Toshiba
• Hokushin Electric Works
• Honeywell Bull
• IBM – HDD business acquired by Hitachi Global Storage Technologies in 2002
• Information Storage Systems acquired by Itel, then Univac and finally CDC
• Integral Peripherals – first rigid 1.8-inch drive; bankrupt in 1998
• Iomec
• Iomega – left industry
• ISOT of Bulgaria
• JT Storage (JTS) – bankrupt in 1999
• JVC – left industry
• Kalok – bankrupt in 1994
• LaCie – acquired by Seagate Technology in 2012
• LaPine Technologies
• Librascope
• Marshall Laboratories
• Matsushita – left industry in 2004
• Maxtor – acquired by Seagate in 2006
• Memorex – acquired by Burroughs 1981 and then merged into Unisys 1986; HDD division shut down in 1988
• Microcomputer Memories – left the industry
• Micropolis Corporation – bankrupt in 1997
• Microscience International – bankrupt in 1992
• MiniScribe – bankrupt and then acquired by Maxtor in 1990
• Ministor Peripherals – first mobile 1.8-inch drive; bankrupt in 1998
• Mitsubishi – left industry
• NEC – left industry
• Nippon Peripherals
• Nomaï
• Olivetti
• Pertec Computer
• Philips
• Plus Development – subsidiary of Quantum; created Hardcard; absorbed back into Quantum 1992
• Potter Instrument
• PrairieTek – first 2.5-inch rigid HDD; bankrupt in 1991
• Priam Corporation – 1978-1989, became Priam Systems Corporation in 1990 and sold product line to Prima International in 1991
• Quantum Corporation – sold HDD business to Maxtor in 2001
• Raymond Engineering
• Rodime – first 3.5-inch rigid HDD; shut down manufacturing in 1991; licensed its patents until the patent business was sold for $1.5 million in July 2003. The company was then the subject of a reverse merger and became Sportech PLC.
• Sagem
• Samsung – HDD business acquired by Seagate for $1.4 billion in 2011
• Seiko Epson
• Sequel
• Shugart Associates – Acquired by Xerox in 1977 and shut down in 1986.
• Siemens
• Sony
• Storage Technology Corporation (StorageTek or STK) – left industry
• Syquest – bankrupt in 1998; some patents acquired by Iomega. Re-emerged selling cartridges for their previously-discontinued products.
• Tandon Corporation – acquired by Western Digital in 1988
• Tulin Corporation – bankrupt
• Vertex Peripherals – acquired by Priam Corporation in 1985

Read also to complete this list:
HISTORY: List of 221 Companies in HDD Manufacturing Since 1956
Only three remaining
by Jean Jacques Maleval | 2013.03.28 | News