Quiz: What’s Oldest Acquisition in History of Storage Industry?

We count on the good memory of our readers to eventually correct the table below.

Among 1,629 M&SA recorded in the storage industry according to our data base, historically the oldest acquisition discovered was Graham Magnetics by Carlisle Companies in 1977 for an amount not revealed. Then, 3 years later, StorageTek bought Documation, and, in 1992, Memorex acquired Burroughs, all the acquirers being involved in tape technology and finally sold or disappearing.

On its side, Graham Magnetics was the last manufacturer of open-reel 9-track tape, but ceased production at the end of 2001. From 1994 to 1999, it was a part of Anacomp Corp., being acquired in 1994 for $7.6 million. During this period, Anacomp/Graham was the leader in open-reel computer tape production and one of 3 major manufacturers of IBM 3480 tape cartridges. They sold tape under the Graham, Memorex, and other brands. In 1999, Anacomp spun off the magnetic tape line of business as eMag Solutions. This included the Graham Magnetics division. After ending 9-track magnetic tape production, Graham entered the business of recertifying tape cartridges. In 2006, the company developed a process for eradicating data from tape cartridges while preserving the servo tracks. In 2007, eMag sold Graham to RBE Enterprises of Dallas, TX.

Main steps of Graham:
1964: Datatape Corp. is created to manufacture magnetic tapes.
1965: Its name is changed into Graham Magnetics Inc.
1977: Carlisle Corp. (Cincinnati, OH) buys Graham Magnetics.
1985: The half-inch compatible IBM 3480 is launched.
1987: Graham U.K. becomes Graham Magnetics Europe, a 100% subsidiary of Carlisle.
1988: Graham Magnetics and DEI (San Diego, CA), a manufacturer of QIC cartridges, merge under the name of Carlisle Memory Products Group, Inc.
1992: Carlisle Memory Products splits. Graham Magnetics, Inc. is created again. The quarter-inch activity is bought by Verbatim.
1994: Anacomp acquires Graham Magneticshttps://www.storagenewsletter.com/2020/12/16/history-1994-anacomp-to-purchase-graham-magnetics/.
2007: eMag sold Graham to RBE Enterprises

All storage acquisitions from 1977 to 1989