NCR is the second largest point of sale systems maintenance and solutions corporation in the world. Their largest competitor is
IBM in the
POS systems sector, and
Diebold in the
ATM machine sector.
John H. Patterson founded National Cash Register in the 1884 with the invention of the mechanical cash register. When the company was in its infancy, it coined the term "fire" in the use of terminating an employee. To prevent an employee from attempting to return to work, the worker's desk was taken outside and literally set on fire. With no desk, your job was finished, thus the legend goes.
In 1906, Charles F. Kettering designed the first cash register powered by an electric motor. Once again, NCR was on the forefront of innovation in the industry.
Another important note is NCR's invention and development of SCSI devices. The company short-sightedly sold the technology to IBM in the late 1970's as part of a deal for microchannel technology.
After a buyout in 1991 by AT&T, NCR was spun off again as a separate business entity in 1997. Since then, NCR acquired Permond Solutions, now known as First Line Maintenance LLC, to handle preventative computer and cash register maintenance.
NCR provides a complete solution for all electronic equipment from the cash regsiters to the back office controller systems in many stores. They have also aquired many contracts once owned by IBM by providing better service or better rates, most notably Wal-Mart, which runs IBM systems but is maintained by NCR field technicians.
You see NCR equipment every day in retail stores, supermarkets, banks and fast food restaurants. The largest of NCR's clients include Wal-Mart, Bank of America, KFC, regional supermarket chains, the US Postal Serviceand various city governments.