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Dell Computer History
Michael Dell founded Dell Computer in 1984 with $1,000 and an idea to sell computers directly to customers, cutting much of the existing reseller channels from the process. The Dell strategy turned the much overlooked cost center of distribution into a major business advantage. That idea had the same revolutionary effect on the computer business as Southwest's no-frills flights had on aviation business. The same direct-selling concept has been copied by other companies, mostly less successfully than what Dell has been able to achieve. Dell Computer History - Milestones 1980s There have been lots of major milestones in the history of this revolutionary company. After the founding of the company in 1984, the first Dell computer design was revealed in 1985: the Turbo, featuring Intel 8088 processor running at eight megahertz. As signs of early focus on customer service, Dell introduces next-day, on-site product service as the first computer systems company to do so in 1987. The early success was followed by investor interest in the company, which culminated in the initial public offering of company stock in 1988. Dell computer history takes a major turn in 1989 as the computer enters mobile computing, with the first laptop design. Dell Computer History - Milestones 1990s The 90s start for Dell with rapid expansion. The company opens a manufacturing center in Limerick, Ireland, to serve European, Middle Eastern and African markets. By 1993 Dell enters the top 5 global computer manufacturers. Even so, the same year Dell only starts the expansion into Asia-Pacific markets, with subsidiaries in Australia and Japan. That same Asia-Pacific expansion is intensified in 1996 as Dell opens an original Asia Pacific manufacturing center in Penang, Malaysia. The same year Dell.com is opened for business. The online channel will soon become a major channel for direct sales for the company (online sales reach $50 million per day by 2000 for the company). Also, in 1996, Dell begins to push into network-server market. The next year, the company introduces its first workstation systems. The continued success in the Dell computer history means more manufacturing facilities around the world. In 1998, the company expands manufacturing facilities in the Americas and Europe, and opens a production and customer center in Xiamen, China. The same year, Dell introduces its PowerVault storage products. Expansion into the Latin American market means that Dell opens in 1999 a manufacturing facility in Eldorado do Sul, Brazil, to serve Latin America. Dell Computer History - Milestones 2000 Onwards Success of the company's business model is highlighted by the top global position in computer shipments in 2001. That same year, Dell introduces PowerConnect network switches. In 2003, the company is ready to expand the successful business model into other computer related equipment areas as well as consumer electronics, with the introduction of printers for businesses and consumers.
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