Nixdorf Computer Corporation

Heinz Nixdorf founded Nixdorf Computers (then known as Labor für Impulstechnik) in 1952. His first products were electronic calculators but he quickly developed computers and, by the mid-1960s was selling them to small and medium-sized business, mainly in Europe.

In 1968, he acquired other companies and moved his headquarters to his home town of Paderborn, Germany. By 1985, the company had over 20,000 employees with offices in 44 countries. Nixdorf died in 1986 and the company soon found itself in difficulty.

In 1990 they merged with Siemens to form Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG. The new company no longer needed the old Nixdorf administrative building in Paderborn and it has since become the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum – a combination computer museum (the largest in Europe) and conference center.